Behaviour, organisations and policy evaluation (ECOr)

Area 1: Behavioural and organisational science 

Researchers study human behaviour in a broad sense, integrating different levels of analysis:

• fundamental processes underlying the basic functions of behaviour (e.g. language production and comprehension, memory function, perception, learning, performance, regulation) and social behaviour (e.g. cooperative decision-making and strategies, judgment and discriminatory behaviour, pro-environmental and pro-social behaviour, etc.).
• interactions between individuals as behavioural insights; interactions examined in regards to networks and peer effects (in education, the working world, innovation, consumption, lifestyles, health, environmental behaviour, etc.) as well as in coordination and management processes.
• interaction between the individual (at school, at work, as a consumer, citizen-voter, etc.) and institutions/organisations (innovations in the working world, new consumption patterns, nudges and incentives, etc.); study of transitions, risks and changes (environmental, societal, legal) and coping behaviours.

Area 2: Evaluation, public action and global transitions

This area deals with the assessment of the institutional and legal context in which individuals and organisations operate, based on the understanding of behaviours as studied in the first area of focus: concrete institutions (public policies: laws, regulations, etc.), organisations (private initiatives: companies, NGOs, etc.) and abstract institutions (currency, customs, norms, etc.). The area also focuses on the impact of these institutions and policies on aggregate behaviour/measures (employment, inequality, well-being, etc.).

There are various levels of analysis:          

• evaluation of regional or national public policies (health, education, training, culture, tax and benefits, labour market and pensions, environment, energy, sustainable development, etc.)
• evaluation of private initiatives or the impact of institutions on private companies and organisations (training, consumption patterns, innovation and R&D, competition and market regulation, legal and fiscal standards for companies, circular economy and the impact of globalisation, productivity, etc.)
• evaluation of global transitions and the supranational framework (climate policies and agreements, European policies on education, employment, integration and solidarity, financial and fiscal regulation at the international level, trade agreements and international  trade, international aid and development policies, infrastructure and transport, monetary policy, etc.)

A Major Research Programme is headed by this department:

• HOPE - Understanding Human Well-being and Behaviour for better Policies & Societies coordinated by Olivier Bargain, University of Bordeaux professor in Larefi (Laboratoire d'analyse et de recherche en économie et finance internationales - University of Bordeaux)
  Other research departments involved: Social sciences of sontemporary changes (CHANGES), Law and social transformations and Public health.
  Other establishments involved: BSE, LabPsy, BPH, Comptrasec & Irgo.

The department is also associated with two other GPRs:

• IPORA - Interdisciplinary Policy-Oriented Research on Africa coordinated by the Public health department
• PPM - Post-Petroleum Materials coordinated by the Material and light sciences department

It is also associated with two Impulsion Research Networks (RRI):

• BEST - Making better to live better coordinated by the Engineering and digital sciences department
• ROBSYS - Robustness of Autonomous Systems coordinated by the Engineering and digital sciences department