Behavioral Perspectives on Law and Public Policy

***This course is for ELLM students only*** A growing body of evidence from psychology, behavioral economics, and cognitive economic, a field recently pioneered by Andrei Shleifer, as well as behavioral ethics, shows that individual decision-makers, consumers and lay people, but also managers and collective decision-makers such as corporate boards, often deviate from what has been characterized as the standard ""rational actor"" model of traditional economics.

The course will examine the implications of this research for law and public policy. Topics studied will include contract and tort law, corporate governance, dispute resolution, and the use of “nudges”.

Students will engage with research on the topic, and also reflect on the practical consequences of the findings in the context of deals negotiation and structuring, corporate governance design, ESG and compliance, disputes resolution options etc, as well as redistribution, regulation and public policy goals setting.