The Role of Emotions in Economics and Politics

The Project:

As polarisation is on the rise in a number of (especially European) countries, the role of emotions becomes central in the debate about economy and democracy. While the impact of emotions is much-debated, it also remains heavily under-researched. Their importance has been amplified by social media and certain narratives aiming to capitalise on them. How do negative and positive emotions affect the behaviour of economic and political agents? How do aggregate changes in emotions arise and what role do they play in major political and economic dynamics, such a business cycle and political fluctuations?

The project calls for the use of longitudinal analyses and cross-country comparisons, however there is also scope for the use of a wide variety of methods to understand how changing emotional landscapes and shifting social norms interact with key economic and political values, decisions and outcomes. Possible examples and applications include but are not limited to: herd behaviour and observation learning; echo chambers and their effects on economic and political outcomes; behavioural biases that induce polarisation; drivers of participation and political mobilisation; voting and consumption trends; trust, disinformation and post-truths; collective action and collective responsibility; etc.

We expect successful candidate to identify the research questions they find most interesting and promising and design the appropriate methodological approach with our support.

The Successful Candidate should:

Fulfil the entrance requirements for a PhD in the School of Management

Start date:

All PhD students must commence registration and PhD training in October 2023 (except in very exceptional circumstances such as transfer of commenced PhD candidates and with approval from the School Director of Doctoral Programmes)

Enquiries and Applications:

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Joanna Syrda, jes54@bath.ac.uk

More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.

Funding Eligibility:

Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS) and University Research Studentship Award (URSA) are available for new management students at the University. For further details and to check if you are eligible please click the links below:

Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS)

University Research Studentship Award (URSA)

We are also accepting self-funded/externally funded students.