33009 - Economic Psychology

Learning outcomes

The course aims to describe psychological processes underlying economic behaviours, and particularly economic behaviours related to work and organizational environment.

A main issue of the course is to show how income management (saving, spending, investing, job retiring) are influenced by the representation of the economic system and economic processes. Thus, the course will focus on the relationship between psychology and economic behaviors both in the organizational and societal life.

Course contents

1. Definition and areas of Economic Psychology

 

2. Perception of economic system

- beliefs, attitudes and representations of the economic system

- meaning of work and economic values

 

3. Money and work

- work entry and work retirement

- meaning of money

- compensation and incentives systems, pay satisfaction

 

4. Firms, entrepreneurs and consumers

- SMEs system

- entrepreneurship and innovation

- customer satisfaction (and dissatisfaction)

Readings/Bibliography

Basic references for this course are:

van Raaij W. F. (1981) Economic Psychology. Journal of Economic Psychology, 1, 1-24.

MCKENNA (2006) Human resource practices: rewards, training and development, in IDEM, Business psychology and organizational behaviour (cap. 18 = pp 606 – 619; Last edition)

Thierry H. (1998) Compensating work, in Drenth P. et al. (eds.) Handbook of work and organizational psychology, Vol. 4 – Organizational psychology, pp. 291-319.

Warneryd K.E (1999) The role of macroeconomic psychology, Applied psychology, 48, 3, 273-296.

Zappalà S. (2001) Social representations of economics across cultures, in C. Roland-Levi, E. Kirchler, E. Penz, C. Gray (a cura di) Everyday representations of the economy. Vienna: WUV Universitatsverlag

Furnham A. (1997) The relationship between work and economic values. Journal Economic Psychology, 18, 1-14.

WEBLEY P., BURGOYNE C., LEA S., YOUNG, B. (2004) Economic psychology of everyday life, (original english edition).

 

 

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures will be conducted by the professor; addittionally active participation of students will be solicited through cases discussions, role playing, readings and discussions on short research papers. Managers and Human Resources Mangers of private and public organizatons will present relevant cases and surveys concerning Salary management and Pay satisfaction conducted in their own company.

Assessment methods

The examination is formed by three assignments:

1) A reaction paper (commenting some news about economic events, taken form newspapers), of 2 pages.

2) A written examination: consisting of 6 open questions.

3) An essay (of between 5 - 6 pages) on a specific issue of the course. It will have to be delivered one week before the written examination.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Zappalà