About the Institute

The Reinhard Selten Institute (RSI) was founded in 2017 as an institute for research in economics in honor of Reinhard Selten (1930–2016). Reinhard Selten is Germany’s only Nobel Laureate in Economics and served for many years on the Bonn faculty. The institute turns the cooperation in economic research between the University of Bonn and the University of Cologne into a permanent feature.

Rector Prof. Michael Hoch, University of Bonn and Rector Prof. Axel Freimuth, University of Cologne sign the foundation agreement of the Reinhard Selten Institute. In the back (from left to right): Prof. Benny Moldovanu, University of Bonn, Prof. Bettina Rockenbach, University of Cologne, Prof. Felix Bierbrauer, University of Cologne and Prof. Daniel Zimmer, University of Bonn, member of the Reinhard Selten Institute. Copyright: Volker Lannert / Uni Bonn.

The Reinhard Selten Institute hosts the Cluster ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy, which is funded under Germany’ Excellence Strategy by the German Research Foundation. All principal investigators of ECONtribute are also members of the RSI, and the Cluster’s spokesperson serve on the RSI Board. The RSI and ECONtribute share a joint management office.

Board

The Reinhard Selten Institute is directed by two long-term students of Reinhard Selten: Benny Moldovanu, University of Bonn, and Bettina Rockenbach, University of Cologne as well as the spokespersons of ECONtribute, Thomas Dohmen, Matthias Heinz and Pia Pinger.

About Reinhard Selten

Reinhard Selten was a German Economist and Mathematician, born 1930 in Wroclaw, in today’s Poland. He studied Mathematics at the Goethe University in Frankfurt and received his PhD in 1961. After teaching in Berkeley, Berlin and Bielefeld, he was appointed Professor at the University in Bonn in 1984. In Bonn, he built up the BonnEconLab, a laboratory for experimental economic research, where he continued to be actively involved after his retirement. Reinhard Selten was awarded the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics, jointly with John Nash and John Harsanyi, for path-breaking contributions to game theory. To date, he is the only German economists who has achieved this honor. His students include many researchers who today are members of ECONtribute.

Germany’s only Nobel Laureate in Economics, Reinhard Selten (1930-2016). Copyright: Volker Lannert / Uni Bonn