Introduction to the Behavioral Theory of the Firm and its Contemporary Applications

The course will focus on the Behavioral Theory of the Firm and the contemporary research areas it influences, especially research on organization design. The course will introduce students to an active research area whose scholars have largely been inspired by the late Jim March. We will study the basic elements of behavioral approaches to organizations and consider how new contributions can be made in this area. The course will also give students opportunities to familiarize themselves with agent-based modelling, which has been one of the preferred methods of behavioral theorists. Students will be able to discuss papers based on such models, but also develop simple models to formalize theoretical arguments.