BEE Lab

Why BEE Lab

For almost a century, the ideal of rationality was used as a yardstick for measuring, predicting and explaining behavior of real people and organizations. Principles of economic analysis were inspired by the mathematical rigor and elegance of the natural sciences – particularly physics – where many theories and models were founded on empirically untested assumptions, usually completely uninformed by emergent insights from other social sciences such as psychology or sociology. The resulting neoclassical paradigm, only up until recently overwhelmingly prevalent in economic sciences, fails to explain and predict real-life human behavior of individuals and groups.

Current advances in behavioral science – primarily psychology and neuroscience – opened the black box of the mind and liberated social sciences from the assumption of folk wisdom about soul and identity. Studies indicated regularities in human cognitive apparatus and how cognitive biases and fallacies affect market outcomes. By now it is broadly accepted that decision processes are governed by heuristics, often made in social context where optimal strategies may not only be determined by self-interest. Additionally, the actions of individuals are often affected by emotions or framed by their identity, shaped by their values and interaction within and between their social groups.

In a world abundant in information, rife with technological advances and disruptive innovations, changes that will largely affect individuals and social wellbeing will be psychological, not technological in nature. Therefore, the only true way to improve and sustain individual and social wellbeing is to have broader perspective and, without intellectual pride, from various practical and scientific disciplines combine knowledge to create new value.

Laboratory for behavioral and experimental economics (BEE LAB) aims to address the complexity of human behavior through interdisciplinary research spanning from social sciences such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, to economics and finance. Yet, we are aware that quality science can only be produced with superior methodology. For a fully interdisciplinary approach, we aim to add insights from transdisciplinary fields such as econophysics, social physics, game theory and complex adaptive systems. Our aspirations are mirrored in the diverse ensemble of experts in our lab who design and conduct research using state of the art methodology and contribute to the development of behavioral sciences applied to economic behavior and public policy.

We solve problems.

With science.

Delivering cutting-edge academic and impactful research with applications for businesses and societies.

Goals

Conduct interdisciplinary research in the field of behavioral economics
Publish works in high-quality national and international scientific journals
Cooperate with a broad spectrum of profit and non-for-profit institutions
Implement innovative ways of addressing problems in people’s behaviour, organizational and social problems
Serve as a think-tank for the interested public – students, firms, institutions

Projects

EU Innovation voucher grant for collaboration between academic institution (ZSEM) and SME (Peekator) for research “Development and validation of instrument for measuring CX activators”

Customer experience activators – research results. Presented at CX ZG Meetup organized online by Netokracija, 2020.

URL: https://bit.ly/3z7r3iH

Collaboration between ZSEM and Promosapiens Croatia in experimental research study “Effects of different nutrition labels on visual attention and accuracy of nutritional quality perception” (2019-2020)

Mušura Gabor, A., Stojnić B. & Ban Ostić D. (2020). Effects of different nutrition labels on visual attention and accuracy of nutritional quality perception-results of an experimental eye-tracking study. Food Quality and Preference 84, 103948

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103948

Effects of product labelling on perception of product quality: experimental results. Presented at “Scientific Tuesday”, organized by Economic Institute Zagreb, 2019.

URL: https://bit.ly/3hdH7VZ

Effects of product labelling on perception of product quality. Presented at 12. Meet up “Functional food in Croatia”, organized by Croatian Chamber of Economy, 2019.

URL: https://bit.ly/3henCfK

Food Choice and Consumer Behavior – Brain and Nutrition. Participating in round table at 7th International Congress of Nutritionists, organized by the Croatian Federation of Nutritionists in Zagreb, 2019.

URL: https://bit.ly/3ifatY6

EU Innovation voucher grant for collaboration between academic institution (ZSEM) and SME (Peekator) for research “Customer Journey Mapping Platform”

Public Lectures and Press

Food Choice and Consumer Behavior – Brain and Nutrition. Participation in round table at 7th International Congress of Nutritionists, organized by the Croatian Federation of Nutritionists in Zagreb, 2019.

URL: https://bit.ly/3ifatY6

Behavior design for digital financial services. Presented at F21: Fintech & Insurtech conference, organized by BUG, 2019.

URL: https://f2.bug.hr/2019/index.html

HUP Okrugli stol „Disrupt HR – Time for Change“: Behavioral design in HR, 12.11.2018.

URL: https://www.hup.hr/12112018-behavioral-design-in-hr-hup-radnicka-cesta-521-900.aspx

HUP Okrugli stol „Disrupt HR – Time for Change“: People analytics: Važnost podataka o zaposlenicima, 21.5.2018.

URL: https://www.hup.hr/2152018-radionica-people-analytics-vaznost-podataka-o-zaposlenicima-hup-radnicka-cesta-521-900.aspx

DTakeover 24 sata, Konferencija o digitalnoj transformaciji 2019, A. Mušura Gabor: Bihevioral principles of Homo digitalis

URL: https://digitaltakeover.hr/predavaci/2019/dr-sc-andrijana-musura-gabor/

Does public policy need behavioral economics? Presented at ZSEM Business Insights public lecture, organized by ZSEM, November 3rd, 2017.

URL: https://bit.ly/2ZhmmT6; https://bit.ly/2GKJ0Nl

The truth about decision making: Why companies need behavioral science. Presented at Innovate HR- Adriatic Innovation Island conference, 2018.