Business School

Research

In this section
Research

The research of SEEL is based around several different overarching and interrelated themes. Below are some selected publications from SEEL members.

Theme 1 - Choice Behaviours

A key element of experimental economics is to study the decisions made by economic agents, within both individual decision-making settings and strategic interactions.

This is a fundamental part of understanding economic behaviour and is a core component of research by SEEL members and done in the laboratory.

Selected Key Publications:

Theme 2 - Experimental Health Economics

A natural linkage for experimental research is in health economics. Building on strong ties between the Economics Department and the Health Economics Research Unit (HERU), SEEL has been used to support researchers doing experiments around health, from understanding doctor's behaviour in consultations with patients, and participants behaviour in discrete choice experiments in health contexts to the interrelationship between payment contracts and physical health.

Selected Key Publications:

  • Andelic, N., Allan, J., Bender, K., & Powell, D. et al. (2025). Performance-related Pay and Sorting into Stress. Oxford Economic Papers, 77(4), 938-953. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpaf008
  • Pouncey, A. L., Loría-Rebolledo, L. E., Sharples, L., Bicknell, C., Ryan, M., & Powell, J. (2025). Impact of patient sex on selection for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: a discrete choice experiment. BMJ Open, 15(2), Article e091661. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091661
  • Sarigiovannis, P., Loría-Rebolledo, L. E., Foster, N. E., Jowett, S., & Saunders, B. (2024). Musculoskeletal patients’ preferences for care from physiotherapists or support workers: a discrete choice experiment. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 1095. Article 1095. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11585-w
  • van der Pol, M., Boyers, D., Marashdeh, M. M., & Loria Rebolledo, L. (2024). UK general population’s Willingness To Pay for dental check-ups. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 52(2), 181-186. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12911
  • Bullen, A. J., Ryan, M., Ennis, H., Gray, E., Loria Rebolledo, L., McIntyre, M., & Hall, P. (2024). Trade-offs between overall survival and side-effects in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer: eliciting preferences of patients with primary and metastatic breast cancer using a discrete choice experiment. BMJ Open, 14(4), Article e076798. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076798
  • Loria Rebolledo, L., Van Woerden, H., Bryers, H., Erdem, S., & Watson, V. (2024). Preferences of Recent Mums in Remote and Rural Areas for Type of Intrapartum Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment. The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 17, 663–672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40271-024-00704-8
  • Loria Rebolledo, L., Hassan, S., Goodall, M., Watson, V., Gabbay, M., Tahir, N., & Frith, L. (2023). Public contributors' preferences for the organisation of remote public involvement meetings in health and social care: a discrete choice experiment study. Health Expectations, 26(1), 146-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13641 Theme 2 - Experimental Health Economics
  • Andelic-McKeown, N., Allan, J., Bender, K., & Powell, D. et al. (2023). Stress in performance-related pay: the effect of payment contracts and social-evaluative threat. Stress, 26(1), Article 2283435 . https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2023.2283435
  • Loria Rebolledo, L. E., Ryan, M., Watson, V., Genie, M., Sakowsky, R. A., Powell, D., & Paranjothy, S. (2022). Public acceptability of non-pharmaceutical interventions to control a pandemic in the United Kingdom: a discrete choice experiment. BMJ Open, 12(3), Article e054155. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.12.21264883, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054155
  • Andelic, N., Allan, J., Bender, K., & Theodossiou, I. et al. (2022). Salivary cortisol in university students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 12, Article 100160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100160
  • Malik, S., Mihm, B., & von Suchodoletz, A. (2022). COVID-19 lockdowns and children's health and well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology, 93, Article 102549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2022.102549
  • Allan, J., Andelic, N., Bender, K., & Powell, D. et al. (2021). Employment Contracts and Stress: Experimental Evidence. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 187, 360-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.04.015
  • Schwarzinger, M., Watson, V., Arwidson, P., Alla, F., & Luchini, S. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a representative working-age population in France: a survey experiment based on vaccine characteristics. The Lancet Public Health, 6(4), e210-e221. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00012-8
  • Dupré, D., Andelic, N., Moore, D. S., Morrison, G., & McKeown, G. J. (2020). Analysis of physiological changes related to emotions during a zipline activity. Sports Engineering, 23(1), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-020-00328-9
  • Allan, J., Bender, K., & Theodossiou, I. (2020).& Performance pay and low-grade stress: An experimental study. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 67(2), 449-457. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203294
  • Pearce, A. M., Mulhern, B. J., Watson, V., & Viney, R. (2020). How are debriefing questions used in health discrete choice experiments? An online survey. Value in Health, 23(3), 289-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2019.10.001
  • Cerroni, S., Watson, V., Kalentakis, D., & Macdiarmid, J. I. (2019). Value-elicitation and value-formation properties of discrete choice experiment and experimental auctions. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 46(1), 3-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jby014
  • Dickey, H., Ikenwilo, D., Norwood, P., Watson, V., & Zangelidis, A. (2016). “Doctor my eyes”: A natural experiment on the demand for eye care services. Social Science & Medicine, 150, 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.12.037

Theme 3 - Behavioural Economics Research

The interest of the interaction between economics and psychology has led to increasing research in behavioural economics, at the theoretical, experimental and empirical levels.

In laboratory settings, this research focuses on how economic agents make decisions, although it has also led to economic researchers thinking more broadly about noneconomic outcomes such as the economics of subjective well-being and other behavioural choices.

Selected Key Publications:

Theme 4 - Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics

This theme focuses on the design and functioning of environmental and energy markets, and related policy mechanisms. Recent research revolves around (i) the experimental investigation of tradeable emissions markets in relation to investment and innovation incentives; (ii) the design and performance of incentive-based policies for the protection and enhancement of the environment and ecosystems; and (iii) energy market design.

Selected Key Publications:

  • Cason, T.N., Stranlund, J.K. & de Vries, F.P. (2026). Technology Adoption under Emissions Taxes and Permit Markets with Price Collars. European Economic Review, Article 105358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2026.105358
  • Loria-Rebolledo, L. E., Boyers, D., Watson, V., Antunes, M., & Chalmers, N. (2025). Valuing the health and wellbeing value of the NHS Scotland’s outdoor estate: How are NHS open spaces used and what is their value to the Scottish population. Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI). https://doi.org/10.57064/2164/25103
  • Meginnis, K., Börger, T., de Vries, F. P., & Hanley, N. et al. (2025). Locational Dimensions of Utility for Transboundary Pollutants: An Empirical Investigation of Common Assumptions. Land Economics, 101(3), Article 082924-0078R1. https://doi.org/10.3368/le.102.1.082924-0078R1
  • Johnston, R. J., Börger, T., Hanley, N., Meginnis, K., Ndebele, T., Ali Siyal, G.E., Beaumont, N. & de Vries, F.P. (2024). Consequences of omitting non-lethal wildlife impacts from stated preference scenarios. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 126, Article 103011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2024.103011
  • Börger, T., Hanley, N., Johnston, R. J., Meginnis, K., Ndebele, T., Ali Siyal, G.E. & de Vries, F.P. (2024). Equity preferences and abatement cost sharing in international environmental agreements. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 106(1), 416-441. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12392
  • Cason, T., Stranlund, J. & de Vries, F.P. (2023)“Investment Incentives in Tradable Emissions Markets with Price Floors,” Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists,10(2). https://doi.org/10.1086/721755
  • Kuhfuss, L., Préget, R., Thoyer, S., de Vries, F.P. & Hanley, N. (2022), “Enhancing Spatial Coordination in Payment for Ecosystem Services Schemes with Non-Pecuniary Preferences,” Ecological Economics, 192, 107271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107271
  • Banerjee, S., Cason, T., de Vries, F.P. & Hanley, N. (2021), “Spatial coordination and joint bidding in conservation auctions,” Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 8, 1013-1049. https://doi.org/10.1086/714601
  • Cason, T., & de Vries, F.P. (2019) “Dynamic efficiency in experimental emissions trading markets with investment uncertainty,” Environmental and Resource Economics, 73, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-018-0247-7
  • Banerjee, S., Cason, T., de Vries, F.P. & Hanley, N. (2017) “Transaction costs, communication and spatial coordination in payment for ecosystem services schemes,” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 83, 68-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2016.12.005

Theme 5 - Other Research

Other selected papers by SEEL members include:

2026:

  • Mirzaie, S., & Radmard, H. (2026). Who adopts and Where? Spatial diffusion of retrofit technologies under supplier-obligation and market-led incentives in Scotland. Energy Policy, Article 115329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115329

2024:

2022:

  • Papi, M. (2022). ‘What is Important is Seldom Urgent and What is Urgent is Seldom Important’: A Study of the Strategic Implications of the Urgency Effect in a Competitive Setting. Economic Theory Bulletin, 10(2), 313-332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40505-022-00236-0

2020:

  • Cerroni, S., Watson, V., & Macdiarmid, J. I. (2020). Consumers’ rationality and home-grown values for healthy and environmentally sustainable food. Bio-Based and Applied Economics, 8(2), 101–132. https://doi.org/10.13128/bae-8927
  • Papi, M. (2020). Ordered Search with Boundedly Rational Consumers. In EC 2020 : Proceedings of the 21st ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (pp. 507-508). Article 3399461 (EC 2020 - Proceedings of the 21st ACM Conference on Economics and Computation). Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1145/3391403.3399461

2019:

  • Andelic, N., Feeney, A., & McKeown, G. (2019). Evidence for Communicative Compensation in Debt Advice with Reduced Multimodality. In W. Gao, H. M. Ling Meng, M. Turk, S. R. Fussell, B. Schuller, Y. Song, & K. Yu (Eds.), ICMI '19 2019 International Conference on Multimodal Interaction (pp. 210-219). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). https://doi.org/10.1145/3340555.3353757
  • Elliot, K., Patacconi, A., Swierzbinski, J., & Williams, J. (2019). Knowledge protection in firms: A conceptual framework and Evidence from HP Labs. European Management Review, 16(1), 179-193. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12336
  • Watson, V., Porteous, T., Bolt, T.>, & Ryan, M. (2019). >Mode and Frame Matter: assessing the impact of survey mode and sample frame in choice experiments. Medical Decision Making, 39(7), 827-841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272989X19871035

2018:

  • Dupré, D., Andelic, N., Morrison, G., & McKeown, G. (2018). Accuracy of three commercial automatic emotion recognition systems across different individuals and their facial expressions. In Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PerCom): IEEE Annual Conference IEEE Press. https://doi.org/10.1109/PERCOMW.2018.8480127
  • Dupré, D., McKeown, G., Andelic, N. & Morrison, G. (2018) “Willingness to share emotion information on social media: Influence of personality and social context,” 2018 IEEE 5th International Conference on Data Science and Advanced Analytics (DSAA), 665-72.
  • Papi, M. (2018). Price competition with satisficing consumers. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 58, 252-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2017.09.001

2017:

  • Krucien, N., Watson, V., & Ryan, M. (2017). Is best-worst scaling suitable for health state valuation? A comparison with discrete choice experiments. Health Economics, 26(12), e1-e16. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3459
  • Mittone, L., & Papi, M. (2017). Does inducing choice procedures make individuals better off? An experimental study. Theory and Decision, 83, 37 59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11238-017-9590-3

Funding Opportunities

Professor Joseph Swierzbinski was the long-time Director of SEEL who unexpectedly passed away in the Spring of 2020. In honour of his dedication to SEEL and experimental research, the Joseph Swierzbinski Memorial Fund was established and generously funds internal grants for undergraduate, postgraduate taught and PhD research on experimental economics at the University of Aberdeen. Please contact the SEEL Co-Directors for more information.

PhDs and Funded Projects

In addition to the individual themes and papers listed above, SEEL has been the home to a PhD research and funded projects.

  • "Performance Related Pay and Health: An Interdisciplinary Study,” ESRC, 2019-2022.
  • Adebola Akinsanpe, PhD researcher, “Is the Process as Important as the Outcome? An Experimental/Theoretical Investigation of Procedural Decision Making Models”, current student.
  • Max Chan, PhD researcher, “Essays on Limited Cognition and Decision-Making in a Strategic Environment”. Completed 2020.
  • Despina Yiakoumi, PhD researcher, “Energy Market Design: Experimental Economics,” completed 2020.
  • Jae Ho Lee, PhD researcher, “Source of income effect on individual risk- and time-preferences: experimental approach”, completed 2015.