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Department of Economics

In Honor of Ernst Fehr

Festivities and Scientific Conference

Ernst Fehr is Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich, and his work has fundamentally influenced our understanding of how social motives and norms shape cooperation, markets, organizations, and political behavior. A global thought leader in behavioral economics, his research has earned widespread recognition, both in academia and in the public sphere. 

Fehr has shaped the Department of Economics for more than three decades – as a pioneering researcher, dedicated teacher, former Director of the department, and as the driving force behind the creation of both the Excellence Foundation Zurich and the UBS Center for Economics in Society.

In honor of his 70th birthday in June 2026, the Department of Economics and the University of Zurich are organizing a series of events to celebrate his contributions to science and academic life.

Highlights

  • NZZ Interview

    In a wide-ranging interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Ernst Fehr reflects on his career, his vision of economics, and the challenges ahead. The economist who helped put the University of Zurich at the forefront of behavioral research discusses fairness, the limits of the homo oeconomicus, and why he is increasingly concerned about the resilience of democracy.
    Read the full interview More about Read the full interview

  • Scientific Conference

    The Department of Economics hosted a two-day conference on "The Role of Social Preferences and Social Norms in Economic Life." The event brought together leading researchers to celebrate his groundbreaking contributions to behavioral and experimental economics, and to explore how social preferences and norms shape economic behavior, institutions, and policy.
    Stay tuned for more More about Stay tuned for more

  • Thought Supply

    Ernst Fehr has spent decades studying what really motivates human behavior – fairness, reciprocity, and the social preferences that standard economics long ignored. In the latest episode of Thought Supply, he sits down with colleague Roberto Weber to reflect on his research, his intellectual journey, and the questions that still keep him up at night.
    Watch the Podcast here More about Watch the Podcast here

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