Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels

Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels

M ockenfels@uni-koeln.de

T +49-221-470-5761

Cologne

Cluster position Principal Investigator

Cluster member since 2019

Personal webpage

Research Areas

Organizational Design & Behavior, Market Design & Behavior

Main research topics

Market design, behavioral economics

CV

Axel Ockenfels is a Professor of Economics and Speaker of the Excellence Center for Social and Economic Behavior at the University of Cologne. He combines tools from game theory and behavioral research to design markets and competitive strategies. This approach has many useful applications, and it has benefitted from collaborations with governments, market platforms, and companies. Axel serves on the Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, as an editor of Management Science, and is a member of several academies of science. He studied Economics at the University of Bonn and received his PhD at the University of Magdeburg in 1998.

Publications

Published papers

ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy: Agenda und ausgewählte Forschungsschwerpunkte

Bayer, C., Bierbrauer, F., Ockenfels, A. & Sutter, M. (2025). ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy: Agenda und ausgewählte Forschungsschwerpunkte. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik. https://doi.org/10.1515/pwp-2024-0041
Household Reduction of Gas Consumption in the Energy Crisis is not Explained by Individual Economic Incentives

Dertwinkel-Kalt, M., Feldhaus, C., Ockenfels, A., & Sutter, M. (2024). Household reduction of gas consumption in the energy crisis is not explained by individual economic incentives. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 121(48), e2411740121.
An Open-Access Market for Global Communications

Cramton, P., Bohlin, E., Brandkamp, S., Dark, J., Hoy, D., Kyle, A. S., Malec, D., Ockenfels, A., & Wilkens, C. (2024). An Open-Access Market for Global Communications. Telecommunications Policy, 48(9), 102820.
Designing a Kidney Exchange Program in Germany: Simulations and Recommendations

Ashlagi, I., Cseh, Á., Manlove, D., Ockenfels, A., & Pettersson, W. (2024). Designing a kidney exchange program in Germany: simulations and recommendations. Central European Journal of Operations Research.
Quality and safety for substances of human origins: scientific evidence and the new EU regulations

Elias, J., Lacetera, N., Macis, M., Ockenfels, A., & Roth, A. (2024). Quality and safety for substances of human origins: Scientific evidence and the new EU regulations. BMJ Global Health.
Anreize für Altruismus: Über die Auswirkungen unbezahlter Blutplasmaspenden

Ockenfels, A., & Roth, A. E. (2024). Anreize für Altruismus: Über die Auswirkungen unbezahlter Blutplasmaspenden. Medizinrecht, 42, 175-176.
Fixing Feedback Revision Rules in Online Markets

Bolton, G., Breuer, K., Greiner, B., & Ockenfels, A. (2023). Fixing Feedback Revision Rules in Online Markets. Journal of Economics and Management Strategy.
Large but Diminishing Effects of Climate Action Nudges under Rising Costs

Berger, S., Kilchenmann, A., Lenz, O., Ockenfels, A., Schlöder, F., & Wyss, A. M. (2022). Large but diminishing effects of climate action nudges under rising costs. Nature human behaviour.
Games as Frames

Ockenfels, A., & Schier, U. K. (2020). Games as frames. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Pandemiebereitschaft, internationale Kooperation und Marktdesign

Ockenfels, A. Pandemiebereitschaft, internationale Kooperation und Marktdesign. Wirtschaftsdienst (2021).
Do People Intervene to Make Others Behave Prosocially?

Ackfeld, V. & Ockenfels, A. (2021). Do People Intervene to Make Others Behave Prosocially? Games and Economic Behavior.
Focusing Climate Negotiations on a Uniform Common Commitment Can Promote Cooperation

Schmidt, K. M., & Ockenfels, A. (2021). Focusing climate negotiations on a uniform common commitment can promote cooperation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(11).
What Motivates Paternalism? An Experimental Study

Ambuehl, S., Bernheim, B. D., & Ockenfels, A. (2021). What Motivates Paternalism? An Experimental Study. American Economic Review, 111(3), 787-830.
Payment in Challenge Studies from an Economics Perspective

Ambuehl, S., Ockenfels, A., & Roth, A. E. (2020). Payment in challenge studies from an economics perspective. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(12), 831-832.
Maverick: Experimentally Testing a Conjecture of the Antitrust Authorities

Engel, C., & Ockenfels, A. (2020). Maverick: Experimentally Testing a Conjecture of the Antitrust Authorities. Advances in the Sociology of Trust and Cooperation: Theory, Experiments, and Field Studies, 357.
Trust in Everyday Life

Weiss, A., Michels, C., Burgmer, P., Mussweiler, T., Ockenfels, A., & Hofmann, W. (2020). Trust in everyday life. Journal of personality and social psychology.
Pricing Externalities and Moral Behaviour

Ockenfels, A., Werner, P., & Edenhofer, O. (2020). Pricing externalities and moral behaviour. Nature Sustainability, 1-6.
Überkreuznierenspenden in Deutschland?

Kübler, D., & Ockenfels, A. (2020). Überkreuznierenspenden in Deutschland?. Medizinrecht, 38(2), 89-94.
Das Klimaschutzprogramm der Bundesregierung: Eine Wende der deutschen Klimapolitik?

Edenhofer, O., Kalkuhl, M., & Ockenfels, A. (2020). Das Klimaschutzprogramm der Bundesregierung: Eine Wende der deutschen Klimapolitik?. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, 21(1), 4-18.
Market Design, Human Behavior and Management

Chen, Y., Cramton, P., List, J. A., & Ockenfels, A. (2020). Market Design, Human Behavior, and Management (No. w26873). National Bureau of Economic Research.