1344167
Professor Benno Torgler
Faculty of Business & Law,
School of Economics & Finance
Biography
Benno Torgler is Professor of Economics in the School of Economics and Finance, QUT. He was also Adjunct Professor at the EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, Germany (2012-2015) and an ARC Future Fellow (2011-2015). Before coming to QUT he was:- a Research Affiliate and Lecturer - MacMillan Center, Leitner Program in International and Comparative Political Economy - Yale University
- a Visiting Scholar - Law and Economics Program - University of California-Berkeley
- a Visiting Scholar - Andrew Young School of Policy Studies - Georgia State University.
His primary research interest lies in the area of economics, but he has also published in journals with a political science, social psychology, sociology and biology focus.
- Behavioral and experimental economics
- Non-market economics
- Illegal activities (e.g., tax evasion, corruption, shadow economy, money laundering)
- Sportometrics
- Public finance
- Political economy and public policy
- Law and economics
- Environmental economics
- Sociology/economics of science.
His work has appeared in more than 300 newspapers and (scientific) magazines worldwide, including:
- TIME magazine
- New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
- The New Yorker
- Boston Globe
- Los Angeles Times
- ScienceNews
- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- Wired
- Discover Magazine
- Washington Post
- Spiegel
- VanityFair
- Wall Street Journal: The Clark Medal’s Midas Touch
- The New Yorker: Dodger Mania
- Boston Globe: Sperm Donation Finds Online Market
- Wired: Climbing in the Himalaya? Rope up Wisely
- TIME magazine: Titanic vs. Lusitania: How People Behave in a Disaster
- New York Times: How the Men Reacted as the Titanic and Lusitania Went Under
- Scientific American: Sinking Ships Imply Altruism Takes Time
Personal details
Positions
- Professor
Faculty of Business & Law,
School of Economics & Finance
Research field
Applied economics
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Ph.D
Professional memberships and associations
- Since 2015 Elected Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
- Since 2015 Fellow of the Centre for Emergency and Disaster Management (Community Research Fellow).
- Since 2015 Member of the Lions Club of Brisbane Central.
- Since 2013, Fellow of the CESifo Research Network in Germany.
- Since 2008 Board Member of the National Centre for Econometric Research (NCER) in Australia.
- Since 2004 Research Fellow at the Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA) in Switzerland.
Publications
- Koessler, A., Torgler, B., Feld, L. & Frey, B. (2019). Commitment to pay taxes: Results from field and laboratory experiments. European Economic Review, 115, 78–98. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/127208
- Whyte, S., Chan, B. & Torgler, B. (2018). Do men and women know what they want? Sex differences in online daters' educational preferences. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1370–1375. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/120638
- Dulleck, U., Fooken, J., Newton, C., Ristl, A., Schaffner, M. & Torgler, B. (2016). Tax compliance and psychic costs: Behavioral experimental evidence using a physiological marker. Journal of Public Economics, 134, 9–18. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/93370
- Morton, R., Muller, D., Page, L. & Torgler, B. (2015). Exit polls, turnout, and bandwagon voting: Evidence from a natural experiment. European Economic Review, 77, 65–81. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83681
- Pagan, A. & Torgler, B. (2015). Use '4Rs' criteria to assess papers [Correspondence]. Nature, 522, 34. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/84709
- Page, L., Savage, D. & Torgler, B. (2014). Variation in risk seeking behaviour following large losses: A natural experiment. European Economic Review, 71, 121–131. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/70565
- Torgler, B. & Piatti, M. (2013). A century of American Economic Review: insight and analysis of critical success factors in journal publishing. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65630
- Chan, H. & Torgler, B. (2013). Science prizes: Time-lapsed awards for excellence. Nature, 500(7460), 29. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65313
- Frey, B., Savage, D. & Torgler, B. (2010). Interaction of natural survival instincts and internalized social norms exploring the Titanic and Lusitania disasters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(11), 4862–4865. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/38016
- Schaltegger, C. & Torgler, B. (2007). Government accountability and fiscal discipline: A panel analysis using Swiss data. Journal of Public Economics, 91(1-2), 117–140. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/8075
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Benno, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/benno.torgler
Awards
- Type
- Funded Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2011
- Details
- ARC| Fellowship Type: ARC Principal Research Fellowship
Project Title: The Role of Moral Sentiments and Emotions in Human Nature: An Interdisciplinary Empirical Approach
External Reference : FT110100463
Years Awarded: 2011-2015
Total Funding Awarded: $861,766
Selected research projects
- Title
- Scientist Career Path: An Explorative Analysis
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP180101169
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- Title
- Microeconomic Impacts of Australian Natural Disasters
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP170100177
- Start year
- 2017
- Keywords
- Title
- Incentivizing Attendance and Performance at School: A Field Experiment
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP150100897
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
- Title
- The Role of Moral Sentiments and Emotions in Human Nature: An Interdisciplinary Empirical Approach
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- FT110100463
- Start year
- 2011
- Keywords
- Emotions; Experiments; Moral Sentiments
- Title
- Determining Urban Water Conservation And Management Strategies: A Novel Approach Using Field Experiment And Survey Data
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP0988254
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- Urban Water Conservation; Demand Side Management Instruments; Behavioural Economics; Environmental Psychology; Public Acceptability; Field Experiments
- Title
- Should Rational Individuals Be Optimistic? Theory, Survey Evidence, Experimental Evidence, And Policy Implications.
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP0987840
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- Behavioural Economics; Experiments; Information Management; Expectations; Surveys; Data Analysis
- Title
- Using Heart Rate Variability Measurements To Identify The Effects Of Stress On Decision Making
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP0884074
- Start year
- 2008
- Keywords
- Experimental Economics; Neuroeconomics; Organizational Design
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Adoption of AI Solutions Across Various Public Services
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Steve Bickley, Dr Ben Chan - AI Augmented Agent-Based Modelling for Vulnerability Mapping
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Steve Bickley, Dr Ben Chan - Culture and Corruption: Exploring the Complex Nexus of National Identity, Social Networks, and Cultural Norms
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephen Whyte - Empathy and Compliance Under Uncertainty: Experimental Evidence from Moral, Social, and Legal Decision Contexts
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Sean Wu, Dr Ben Chan - Studies on the impact of kin vs social bonds in decision making
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ben Chan, Dr Stephen Whyte - The Risks and Remedies of Misinformation in Bureaucracy - Where information meets economics towards achieving outcomes in administrative organisations
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ben Chan, Dr Steve Bickley - Understanding the Impacts of AI on Professional Decision Making: A Comprehensive Review with the Framework of Behavioural Economics Theories
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Steve Bickley, Dr Sophie Coulon - Unraveling the Nexus: Misinformation, Knowledge Diffusion, and "Shitstorms" in the Scientific Community
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ben Chan, Dr Steve Bickley - When Luck Breeds Inequality of Opportunity: Fairness and the Meritocracy Paradox
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ben Chan, Dr Steve Bickley
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Knowledge Creation, Evolution and Disappearance: Exploring the Interplay of Emotions, Creativity and Academic Publishing in Knowledge Production (2025)
- Transparency and Responsibility in Information Dissemination: Institutional Roles and Practices (2025)
- When Looks Matter: Errors in Decision-Making in the Health and Fitness Industry in a World of Asymmetric Information and Bounded Rationality (2024)
- Bridging complexity and behavioural economics: The constrained methods matrix (2023)
- Labour market performance and wellbeing in developing countries (2023)
- Young growth, mature growth: Understanding creativity and its associations with stress and well-being (2023)
- Collective Impact: Closing the Gap in educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland (2022)
- Managerial Overconfidence and Success in the Market for Corporate Control (2022)
- The effects of religion on behaviour (2022)
- Interacting Online: Examining Behaviour in a Crowdfunding Setting (2020)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
- Exploring the Mechanisms of 'Opening' and 'Closing' in Complex Decision-Making Environments (2026)
- Understanding Cultural Variation in AI-Human Value Alignment (2026)
- Act Your Age to Engage: Field Evidence on Parent vs. Brand Extension Virality Through Motivational Language (2023)
- Macroeconomic paradigm shifts: From Keynesianism to neoliberalism, natural evolution or framed narrative? (2023)
- Winning streaks in teams and the role of testosterone: Evidence from professional tennis data (2023)
- How Does People's Social Attachment Influence Their Investment Decision? Using Empathy to Explain Availability Bias (2021)
- The Behavioural Economics of Organizational Inefficiency: The Example of the New Zealand Fitness Industry (2020)
- Adherence to Ethical Standards: Pharmacists as Experts (2019)
- Asset Pricing Under Tax Rate Uncertainty (2017)
- Communication to Success: Decision-Making in Crowdfunding (2016)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.