Market design, behavioral economics

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.

Published papers

• 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.

Discussion papers

• Multi-rater Performance Evaluations and Incentives

• Integrating Machine Behavior into Human Subject Experiments: A User-Friendly Toolkit and Illustrations

• Fixing Feedback Revision Rules in Online Markets

Policy briefs

• Das Verhandlungsgebot im Telekommunikationsmarkt: Analyse und Designempfehlungen

• Germany’s Electricity Market Reform Should Harness the Power of Efficient Spot and Forward Trade to Foster Innovation, Investment, and Resiliency

• Organspenden: Überkreuzspende allen ermöglichen

• Crossover Kidney Donation in Germany

• Organspenden: Neue Wege beschreiten

• Consequences of Unpaid Blood Plasma Donations

• Woran scheitert die Klimapolitik bislang?

• Empfehlungen für das Marktdesign zur Befüllung der Gasspeicher

• Einsatz verhaltensökonomischer Interventionen zur Verbesserung ärztlicher Entscheidungen

• Marktdesign für die Gasmangellage

• Toward an EU Gas-Purchasing Cartel

• Marktdesign für eine resiliente Impfstoffproduktion

• It is Time to Auction Slots at Congested Airports