Theme leads: Dr Matteo M Galizzi
Behavioural Lab Affiliates: Zeina Afif, Dr Sanchayan Banerjee, Dr Barbara Fasolo, Dr Benno Guenther, Dr Levent Neyse, Dr Dina Rabie, Prof Fabio Tufano, Dr Chiara Varazzani, Dr Alina Velias.
This research theme offers first-hand expertise in designing, customising, and running behavioural economics experiments and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in real-world settings. Behavioural experiments and RCTs are increasingly used in both developed and low-middle income countries (LMIC) to address concrete challenges, apply and test insights, pilot novel solutions, and rigorously evaluate policies and practices in governments, international organisations, companies, and NGOs.
Using a combination of field, lab, and online experiments, systematically linked with longitudinal and smart data (‘behavioural data linking’), the researchers in this theme analyse economic behaviour in natural and complex settings; large-scale organisations; diverse and nationally representative samples of the population; longitudinal panels; multi-sites studies and ‘mega-studies’; national registers; administrative records; epidemiological cohorts; biomarkers banks; networks of wearable devices and sensors; panels of professionals and diverse hard-to-reach samples (e.g. policy-makers, financial investors, medical doctors, patients, scientists, officers). They also assess the extent to which findings from RCTs and behavioural economics experiments generalise across different samples, settings, contexts, and domains; how robust and reproducible these findings are when systematically accounting for diverse and heterogeneous behavioural responses and for behavioural spillovers; and how they predict real-world behaviours and translate into concrete policies, applications, and practices.
Selected Publications:
2025
Klotz M, Krpan D, Lohmann P, Galizzi MM, Reisch L (2025). Stop, think, buy: An online randomised controlled experiment comparing the effects of traffic light nutritional labelling and price promotion on steering consumer food choice. Appetite, 211, 108005.
Pollicino D, Zamzow H, Shreedhar G, Galizzi MM, Naci H & Freitag P (2025). Can social norms promote sustainable food consumption? A systematic review. Social Influence, 20(1), 2497341.
Sha S, Loveys K, Francis I, Ji E, Lyu L, Krpan D, Galizzi MM & Taylor M (2025). Self-disclosure and relational agents for mental health: a scoping review protocol BMJ Open (in press)
Wang J, Wei Y, Galizzi MM, Kwan HS, Zee BCY, Fung H, Yung TKC, Wong ELY, Yue Q, Lee MKL, Wu Y, Wang K, Wu H, Chong KC & Yeoh EK (2025). Perceptions, willingness-to-pay, and associated socio-demographics of sugar-sweetened beverages taxation in an affluent Asian setting. Appetite, 214, 108195.
番茄社区 Open Research Working Group (ORWG), Baldwin J, Boroudjou H, Galizzi MM, Graves T, Higman R, Lambe L (2025). How to be an open researcher at the 番茄社区. 1st Open Research Guide, 番茄社区 ORWG.
番茄社区 Open Research Working Group (ORWG), Galizzi MM, Graves T, Higman R, Kappes H, Lambe L (2025). Pre-registration and pre-analysis plans for experimental research. 2nd Open Research Guide, 番茄社区 ORWG.
番茄社区 Open Research Working Group (ORWG), Galizzi MM, Graves T, Higman R, Kappes H, Lambe L (2025). Pre-registration, pre-analysis plans, and registered reports. 3rd Open Research Guide, 番茄社区 ORWG.
2024
Costa-Font J & Galizzi MM (2024): Behavioural Economics and Policy for Pandemics: Behavioural Insights from Responses to COVID-19. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009438469.
Guenther B, Galizzi MM & Sanders J (2024). PDOSPERT: a new scale to predict domain-specific risk taking behaviours in times of a pandemic. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 37(4), e2413.
Kourtidis P, Fasolo B, Galizzi MM (2024). Encouraging vaccination against COVID-19 has no compensatory spillover effects. Behavioural Public Policy,8(4), 652-669.
Kovacs R, Dunaiski M, Galizzi MM, Hortala-Vallve R, Murtin F & Putterman L (2024). The determinants of trust: findings from large, representative samples in six OECD countries. Economica, 91(364), 1521-1552.
Rabie D, Rashwan M & Miniesy R (2024). Fasting and honesty: experimental evidence from Egypt. Economic Inquiry, 62, 1353-1368.
Ruggeri K, Stock F, Haslam SA, Capraro V, Boggio P, Ellemers N,..., Galizzi MM, Milkman KL, Petrovic M, Van Bavel JJ & Willer R (2024). A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19. Nature, 625, 134-147,
Sha S, Loveys K, Qualter P, Shi H, Krpan D, Galizzi MM (2024). Efficacy of relational agents for loneliness across age groups: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 24, 1802.
Thomas R, Galizzi MM, Moorhouse L, Nyamukapa C & Hallett TB (2024). Do risk, time, and prosocial preferences predict risky sexual behaviour of youths in a low-income, high-risk setting? Journal of Health Economics, 93, 102845,
Veltri GA, Steinert JI, Sternberg H, Galizzi MM, Fasolo B, Kourtidis P, Buthe T & Gaskell G (2024). Assessing the perceived effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions on SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk: an experimental study in Europe. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 1-9, .
Wang J, Wei Y, Galizzi MM, Kwan HS, Zee BCY, Fung H, Yung TKC, Wong ELY, Yue Q, Lee MKL, Wu Y, Wang K, Wu H, Chong KC & Yeoh EK (2024). Evaluating the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in an affluent Asian setting: a willingness-to-pay survey and simulation analysis. Preventive Medicine, 184, 187994.
Banerjee S and Galizzi MM (2024). People are different! And so should be behavioural interventions. In: Samson A (Ed.) The Behavioural Economics Guide 2024. Behavioural Science Solutions Ltd., 109-118.
Banerjee S and Galizzi MM (2024). Behavioural Public Policy for Global Challenges. In Forscher PS, Schmidt M (Eds.) A Better How: Notes on Developmental Meta-Research. Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics, Nairobi, 90-101. .
2023
Attema A, Galizzi MM, Gross M, Karay Y, L’Haridon O, Hennig-Schmidt H & Wiesen D (2023). The formation of physician altruism. Journal of Health Economics, 87, 102716.
Banerjee S, Galizzi MM, John P & Mourato S (2023). Immediate backfire? Nudging sustainable food choices and psychological reactance. Food Quality and Preferences, 109, 104923.
Hodges J, Stoyanova L & Galizzi MM (2023). End-of-life preferences: a randomised trial of framing comfort care as refusal of treatment in the context of COVID-19. Medical Decision Making 43(6), 631-641.
Kirchner-Hausler A, Schonbrodt FD, Uskul AK, Vignoles VL, Rodriguez-Bailon R, Castillo VA, Cross SE, Gezici-Yalcin M, Harb C, Husnu S, Ishii K, Karamaouna P, Kafetsios K, Kateri E, Matamoros-Lima J, Miniesy R, Na J, Okzan Z, Pagliaro S, Psaltis C, Rabie D, Teresi M, & Uchida Y (2023). Neither eastern nor western: patterns of independence and interdependence in Mediterranean Societies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(3), 471.
Lange A, Miniesy R, Nicklisch A, Rabie D, Bock O & Ross J (2023). Sharing norms and negotiations across cultures: experimental interactions within and between Egypt and Germany. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 210, 412-440.
Upadhyaya N & Galizzi MM (2023). In bot we trust? Personality types and reciprocity in human-bot trust games. Frontiers in Behavioural Economics, 2, 1164259.
2022
Galizzi MM, Lau K, Miraldo M, Hauck K (2022). Bandwagoning, free-riding and heterogeneity in influenza vaccine decisions: an online experiment. Health Economics, 31(4), 614-646,
Galizzi MM (2022). Behavioural public health? Experts’ biases and responses to pandemics. Sistemi Intelligenti, 34(2), 371-401.
Georganas S, Laliotis I, & Velias A. (2022). The best is yet to come: the impact of retirement on prosocial behaviour. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 196, 589-615.
Steinert JI, Sternberg H, Prince H, Fasolo B, Galizzi MM, Buthe T & Veltri GA (2022). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in 8 European countries: prevalence, determinants, heterogeneity. Science Advances, 8(17).
Velias A, Georganas S, & Vandoros S. (2022). COVID-19: Early evening curfews and mobility. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114538.
Wang F, Shreedhar G, Galizzi MM & Mourato S (2022). A take-home message: workplace food waste interventions influence household pro-environmental behaviors. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, 15, 200106 (recipient of the journal’s 2022 Best Paper Award).
Galizzi MM, Godager G, Li J, Linnosmaa I, Tammi T, Wiesen D (2022). Provider Altruism in Health Economics. In Zimmermann KF (Ed.) Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Springer.
Jarke H, Ruggeri K, Graeber J, Tunte MR, Ojinaga-Alfageme O, Verra S, Petrova D, Benzerga A, Zupan Z & Galizzi MM (2022). Health Behavior & Decision-Making in Healthcare. In Ruggeri K (Ed.) Psychology & Behavioural Economics: Applications for Public Policy, Routledge. .
2021
Banerjee S, Galizzi MM, Hortala-Vallve R (2021). Trusting the trust game: an external validity analysis with a UK representative sample. Games, 12(3), 66.
Guenther B, Galizzi MM, Sanders JG (2021). Heterogeneity in risk-taking during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the UK lockdown. Frontiers in Psychology, 64:3653.
Krpan D, Galizzi MM, Dolan (2021). When future ‘spills under’: general self-efficacy moderates the influence of exercise. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7), 1264-1273.
Shreedhar G, Galizzi MM (2021). Personal or planetary health? Direct, spillover and carryover effects of benefits of vegetarian behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 78, 101710. .
2020
Spitschan M, Rumsey S, Jacquiery M & Galizzi MM (2020). Preprints: a primer from UKRN. UKRN and Centre for Open Science:
Stewart SLK, Rinke EM, McGarrigle R, Lynott D, Lunny C, Lautarescu A, Galizzi MM, Farran EK & Crook Z (2020). Pre-registration and registered reports: a primer from UKRN. UKRN and Centre for Open Science: .
2019
Bradford WD, Dolan P, Galizzi MM. (2019). Looking Ahead: Subjective Time Perception and Individual Time Discounting. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 58(1), 43-69.
Crea G, Galizzi MM, Linnosmaa I, Miraldo M. (2019). Physician Altruism and Moral Hazard: (No) Evidence from Finnish National Prescriptions. Journal of Health Economics, 65, 153-169.
Galizzi MM, Navarro-Martinez D. (2019). On the External Validity of Social Preferences Games: a Systematic Lab-Field Study. Management Science, 65(3), 976-1002.
Galizzi MM, Whitmarsh LE (2019). How to Measure Behavioural Spillovers? A Methodological Review and Checklist. Frontiers in Psychology 10:0342,
Krpan D, Galizzi MM, Dolan P (2019). Looking at Spillovers in the Mirror: Making a Case for “Behavioural Spillunders”. Frontiers in Psychology 10:1142,
Lau K, Miraldo M, Galizzi MM, Hauck K (2019). Social Norms and Free-riding in Influenza Vaccine Decisions in the UK: an Online Experiment. The Lancet, 394(2), S65. .
2018
Brañas P, Galizzi MM, Nieboer J. (2018). Experimental Measures of Risk Taking and Digit Ratio: Evidence from a Systematic Study. International Economic Review, 59(3), 1131-1157.
Galizzi MM, Wiesen D. (2018). . In Hamilton J, Dixit A, Edwards S. Judd K (Eds.) Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Galizzi MM, Harrison GW, Miraldo M. (2018) Experimental Methods and Behavioural Insights in Health Economics: Estimating Risk and Time Preferences in Health. In Baltagi B, Moscone F (Eds.) Health Econometrics,Contributions to Economic Analysis, Emerald Publishing, UK (Opening chapter).
McManus J, Constable M, Bunten A, Chadborn T, Araujo-Soares V, Atter N, Baird S, Brown K, Capewell S, Chater A, Galizzi MM, et al. (2018). Improving People’s Health: Applying Behavioural and Social Sciences to Improve Population Health and Wellbeing in England. Public Health England Publication 2018478, Public Health England, London:
2017 and earlier
Galizzi MM, Miraldo M. (2017). Are You What You Eat? Healthy Behaviour and Risk Preferences. B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 17(1).
Galizzi MM & Wiesen D (2017). Behavioural Experiments in Health. Health Economics, 26(S3), 3-5.
Galizzi MM, Miraldo M, Stavropoulou C, Van Der Pol M. (2016). Doctors-Patients Differences in Risk and Time Preferences: a Field Experiment. Journal of Health Economics, 50, 171-182.
Dolan P, Galizzi MM. (2015). Like Ripples on a Pond: Behavioural Spillovers and Their Consequences for Research and Policy. Journal of Economic Psychology, 47, 1-16.
Dolan P, Galizzi MM, Navarro-Martinez D. (2015). Paying to Eat or Not to Eat? Carryover Effects of Monetary Incentives on Eating Behaviour. Social Science and Medicine, 133, 153-158.
Anderson O, Galizzi MM, Hoppe T, Kranz S, Wengstrom E, Van der Viel K. (2010). Persuasion in Experimental Ultimatum Games. Economic Letters, 108(1), 16-18.