Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods

What Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods does

The Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, doing business as the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics, is a German non-profit basic research institute established around 2003 and headquartered in Bonn. It operates under the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) and is funded primarily through institutional grants from the German federal and state governments. The institute is organized into three active research groups: Research Group Ockenfels (Economic Design & Behavior), Research Group Schneider (Behavioral Economics and Data Science), and Research Group Sutter (Experimental Economics), with several former groups (Engel, Fiedler, Baumert, Winter) having concluded operations.

Its core technology stack centers on experimental economics methodologies, behavioral economics research design, data science, and statistical analysis. The institute generates unique empirical datasets through controlled economic experiments and field studies on topics including risk preferences, gender pay gaps, social media regulation, gambling behavior, and policy effectiveness. Outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles in publications such as the American Economic Review and Journal of Public Economics, a discussion paper series, video abstracts, books, and policy-relevant reports.

The business model is public research funding with no commercial revenue generation. The institute serves three primary segments: the academic research community (primary), government and policy makers, and the general public. Distribution occurs through peer-reviewed journals, the PuRe repository, research seminars featuring speakers from institutions like J-PAL, University of Toronto, and Bocconi University, media coverage in outlets such as Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and a PhD program (IMPRS-Econ). A new institutional extension was established via the Adenauer School of Government at the University of Cologne, founded by Director Axel Ockenfels.

Name

Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods

Legal name

Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics

Website

https://coll.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods (Bonn, Germany) is a non-profit research institute under the Max Planck Society that conducts experimental and behavioral economics research, serving the academic community, policymakers, and the public through peer-reviewed publications and policy-relevant empirical studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic and Behavioral Economics Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities (EDAHABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

Keywords

• Behavioral economics research
• Experimental economics studies
• Economic policy research
• Academic research institute
• Collective goods research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As part of the Max Planck Society, the institute receives government funding from German federal and state governments for conducting fundamental research in behavioral economics. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods (operating as the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics) is a non-profit academic research institute that conducts fundamental research in behavioral and experimental economics. Its deliverables include peer-reviewed journal articles, discussion papers, books, video abstracts, research seminars, and a PhD program (IMPRS-Econ), distributed freely to academic, policy, and public audiences.

Product overview

Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics is a research institute focused on behavioral economics research, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The institute conducts academic research through multiple research groups (Experimental Economics, Economic Design & Behavior, Behavioral Economics and Data Science), publishes discussion papers and journal articles, runs a PhD program, and hosts research seminars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Group Experimental Economics Research group led by Matthias Sutter conducting experimental economics research on topics including parental paternalism, patience, parenting, diagnostic uncertainty, and risk preferences, producing peer-reviewed journal articles and discussion papers for the academic community.
• Research Group Economic Design & Behavior Research group led by Director Axel Ockenfels focusing on economic design and behavior, including work on mechanism design, market design, and normative change relevant to collective goods and policy design.
• Research Group Behavioral Economics and Data Science Research group led by Sebastian O. Schneider applying data science and statistical analysis to behavioral economics questions, including award-winning joint work with Matthias Sutter on risk preferences and real-world behavior published in the American Economic Review.
• IMPRS-Econ PhD Program International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS-Econ) doctoral program training PhD researchers in behavioral and experimental economics at the institute.
• Decision Lab Institute facility dedicated to behavioral and experimental decision-making research activities.
• Discussion Paper Series Series of working papers (e.g., Discussion Paper 2026/5, 2026/4, 2026/3) authored by institute researchers, freely distributed in PDF format to the academic community and accessible via the institute's website.
• Journal Articles Peer-reviewed journal articles published by institute researchers in leading economics journals including the American Economic Review, Journal of Public Economics, and Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research published in leading economics journals including American Economic Review
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of ColognecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirector Axel Ockenfels serves as Founding Director of the Adenauer School of Government at University of Cologne, a new academic institution combining research, teaching, and public engagement in public governance to strengthen democratic governance.
• University of Bonn (Law and Economics Workshop)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Castle Econtribute Law and Economics Workshop bringing together researchers in law and economics
• Virtual MD Seminar (Market Design)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual Market Design seminar series featuring presentations from researchers in mechanism design and market design fields

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics (Yale): Preeminent university-affiliated economic research foundation producing theoretical and empirical research in behavioral and experimental economics, comparable in academic prestige and journal placement.
• Max Planck Institute for Economics (Jena): Sister Max Planck economics institute in Jena sharing the same Max-Planck-Gesellschaft parent, conducting fundamental economic research with overlapping experimental and behavioral economics focus.
• Paris School of Economics: Leading European economics research and training institution with strong experimental and behavioral economics faculty, regularly featured as peer speaker source (e.g., Bocconi/LSE-style speakers at seminars).
• Toulouse School of Economics: Leading European center for economic research with strong experimental and behavioral economics programs, producing top-tier publications and competing directly for academic talent and policy attention.
• CESifo: Munich-based international research network in economic sciences, collaborating across European institutions on policy-oriented economic research with overlapping faculty and conference participation.
• ZEW — Centre for European Economic Research: Mannheim-based German economic research institute with strong behavioral and policy evaluation work, comparable in scale, funding model, and policy engagement focus.
• briq — Institute on Behavior & Inequality: Bonn-based research institute focused on behavioral economics and inequality, operating in the same German policy and academic ecosystem with closely aligned research methodologies.
• Max Planck Institute for Human Development: Fellow Max Planck institute in Berlin conducting behavioral research on human development, education, and decision-making — directly comparable methodology and governance under the same parent society.

Broad incumbents

• DIW Berlin: Berlin-based German economic research institute conducting applied economic policy research with a broader portfolio than the subject institute, but competing for similar government funding and policy attention.
• Ifo Institute: Munich-based economic research institute with broader macroeconomic focus, overlapping in policy advisory work but with a much wider portfolio than the behavioral economics specialty of the subject institute.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-planck-institute-for-research-on-collective-goods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods