Maps of Behavioural Economics: Evidence from the Field

Abstract

Behavioural economics is a research agenda, which gradually has moved from the periphery to the centre of the discipline of economics. The rise of behavioural economics has fostered a burgeoning number of studies dealing with the past, present and future of the field. In contrast to these studies which focus on predestinated scholars, outlets and key concepts, this article uses exploratory bibliometric approaches to map behavioural economics. Utilising a novel data set, comprising 104,558 references across 1,872 articles published in the period 1956–2016, the article systematically illuminates the historical foundations, development and interdisciplinary nature of behavioural economics. The article shows (a) the overlooked role of several behavioural psychologists in shaping the field; (b) the influence of the Anglo-Saxon universities, such as University of California Berkeley, Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania; and that (c) behavioural economics mainly draws knowledge from five disciplinary clusters: (a) economics and policy, (b) psychology, (c) pharmacology, (d) health and (e) law.