Welcome

Contact

 Department of Economics

University of Essex

Wivenhoe Park

Colchester CO4 3SQ

United Kingdom

Phone : +44 1206-87-3417

E-mail:  fr.mengel   :-)  gmail.com

I am a Professor of Economics at the University of Essex and a Visiting Guest Professor at the University of Heidelberg.  I am also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK).  Much of my research is on (Evolutionary) Game Theory and Learning with a particular interest in learning across games and categorization as well as models of (bounded) rationality more generally. Another focus of my research is the study of behaviour in social networks and the emergence of social norms. I also work on social identity, the formation of preferences and discrimination. On the left panel you will find links to the project pages for recent research grants.

I teach (or have been teaching) courses on Microeconomic Theory, Game Theory, Mathematics and Behavioural Economics. More information about teaching can be found on the webpage of the Department of Economics. We created an MSc in Behavioural Economics at Essex. Information can be found here

Current Working Papers/ Work in Progress


  • Diversity in Committees, joint with N. Hughes and Z. UH Khan.
  • Performance Thresholds, Effort and Risk-Taking, joint with P. Campos-Mercade, S. Currarini and C. Marchiori.
  • Information, Biases and Voting, joint with S. Oliveros and M. Parey.
  • Innovation in Office, Home or Hybrid Work Modes: Evidence from a Tech Firm, joint with M. Gibbs and C. Siemroth.
  • Influence in Social Networks, joint with D. Friedman and J. Kovarik

Publications (by topic, for chronological list see CV)

Learning in Networks

Learning Across Games, Categorization and Behavioural Spillovers

Social Identity and Discrimination

[Media: The Economist, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Times Higher Education, IZA Newsroom]

Learning and Strategies in Repeated Games

Evolution of Cooperation: Social Structure and Social Networks

Covid 19, WFH

[Media: The Economist I, The Economist II, The Economist III, The Economist IV,  Time MagazineFinancial Times I, Financial Times II,  Financial Times III, Wall Street Journal, New York Times,  Bloomberg,  BBC, Wirtschaftswoche, Wired, Le Nouvel Economiste, Diario Financiero ChileHong Kong Economic Times,  Radio Suffolk, New York PostGQ Magazine; Blogs/Podcasts: marginalrevolution, money for the rest of us,...]

Other: Behavioural Economics, Political Economy, Learning;

Book chapters and Surveys

  • Preferences for Redistribution (joint with E. Weidenholzer), Journal of Economic Surveys 37(5), (2023), 1660-1677.
  • Explaining Variation in Cooperative Behavior – Perspectives from the Economics Literature (joint with J. Van der Weele), In: Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, ed. L-A. Giraldeau, P. Heeb, and M. Kosfeld. Strüngmann Forum Reports, vol. 21, J. Lupp, series editor. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, May 2017.
  • The Ecological and Economic Conditions of Parasitic Strategies (joint with M. Burton-Chellew, A. Kacelnik, M. Arbilly, M. Dos Santos, K.J. Mathot, J. Mc Namara, J. Van der Weele and B. Vollan), In: Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, ed. L-A. Giraldeau, P. Heeb, and M. Kosfeld. Strüngmann Forum Reports, vol. 21, J. Lupp, series editor. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, May 2017.
  • Investment Incentives in Auctions: An Experiment ( joint with V. Grimm, G. Ponti and L.A. Viianto) in Experimental Economics for Competition Policies, Hinloopen and Normann (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2008

Teaching

I teach (or have been teaching) courses on Microeconomic Theory, Game Theory, Evolutionary Game Theory and Mathematics, Behavioural Economics, Cognitive Psychology and Economics as well as a summer module on Experimental Economics. More information about teaching can be found on the webpage of the Department of Economics.  

Links and More                                                                                   

My Erdös Number is at most 4 (Erdös, Koczy, Strobel, Güth) and at least 2 :-)Google Scholar PageECON department AlicanteECON department MaastrichtECON department NottinghamECON department EssexPfinztal -SöllingenFuhrheinerBest football team in the worldBest football team in the UK