Ernst Fehr

Ernst Fehr is a Professor at the University of Zurich and serves as Director of the Institute for Empirical Research in Economics. He is a leading figure in the Behavioral Economics research area at CESifo, focusing on the intersection of economics, psychology, and experimental science.

• University: University of Zurich
• Institutional Role: Director, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics
• Key Affiliation: CESifo Research Network

His research examines social preferences, bounded rationality, and decision-making under uncertainty. Themes include fairness norms, trust, risk aversion, and the psychological drivers of economic behavior, with applications to markets, policies, and institutional design.

Recent publications address ambiguity aversion, cooperation dynamics, and cognitive development in children. His work often combines experimental economics, game theory, and behavioral modeling to uncover foundational patterns in human behavior.

Co-authors in his publications include prominent researchers such as Klaus M. Schmidt, Henning Hermes, and Matthias Sutter. These collaborations highlight interdisciplinary approaches to understanding economic agents' motivations and biases.