BEE UK: 3rd annual conference and summer school on "Implementing experimental designs: Best practices for software programming"
Koh, Boon Han
Dear ESA Community,
The UK Network of Behavioural and Experimental Economists (BEE UK) was set up in July 2024 to bring together researchers based in the UK who are doing work in behavioural and experimental economics. Since then, we are pleased to see the network grow in its numbers.
We would like to announce two key events taking place in June 2026 this year as part of the initiatives supported by the network.
- 3rd Annual Conference of the BEE UK, University of Exeter, 25-26 June 2026.
The conference aims to bring together researchers and practitioners interested in advancing our understanding of behavioural and experimental economics and its applications.
We are excited to welcome Michele Belot (Cornell University) as our keynote speaker. The conference will also feature a panel discussion on ‘Changing the world with experiments’. The panel will be made up of Simon Gächter (University of Nottingham), Elspeth Kirkman (Nesta), and Oliver Hauser (University of Exeter).
We will have parallel sessions with 30-minute presentations as well as poster sessions. There will be two prizes for the best presentation or poster by an early-career researcher or PhD student.
All are welcome to register and participate in the conference even if not presenting a paper. We particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers.
We welcome submissions of full papers on any aspect of behavioural and experimental economics. Submissions should be made using this link by Friday 6 March 2026. There will be a registration fee (amount TBC, no more than 100 GBP) that covers catering and the conference dinner. More information will be made available on the conference webpage.
Key dates
· Submission deadline: 6 March 2026
· Notification of acceptance: 27 April 2026
· Registration deadline: 15 May 2026
· Summer school: 22-24 June 2026
· Conference dates: 25-26 June 2026
- Summer school on “Implementing Experimental Designs: Best Practices for Software Programming”, University of Exeter, 22-24 June 2026 (just before the BEE UK conference)
This three-day summer school, taught by Ted Turocy (University of East Anglia) and Boon Han Koh (University of Exeter), provides a guide to experimental economics researchers on best practices for translating an idea for an experimental design to an implementable experiment, whether in the laboratory or online. In contrast to courses which focus on software packages (such as oTree or z-Tree courses), on this course you will learn how to create a program that is efficient, reliable, and which enables collaboration, adaptability, and reproducibility.
In the first part of the course, we will implement two sets of commonly seen experiments using oTree. We will introduce a conceptual framework for implementing experimental designs, which includes defining the different states of an experiment, and developing storyboards and wireframes for the information screens, input screens, and calculations/ output screens. We will then demonstrate how to translate the designs to software, including topics such as defining groups and matchings, sequential decision-making, multiple decision-making periods, randomization devices, and systematically recording variables for logging and reproducibility.
In the second part of the course, we will provide a brief introduction to key technologies used in producing professional-looking applications, including webpage generation via templates, CSS and Bootstrap, and JavaScript and jQuery. There will also be opportunities for discussions centered on specific aspects of experimental designs based on individual participants’ needs.
Throughout, we will emphasise the use of git and GitHub for version control and collaboration, and management of Python virtual environments for reproducibility and portability. This is therefore not just another oTree course! By the end of the course, you will acquire skills which are transferrable to other platforms or technologies.
Price(s):
£75 (rate for Master’s/PhD students)
£100 (rate for non-students)
Link to Registration (places are limited!):
Best wishes,
Boon Han (on behalf of the BEE UK network and the organising committee)