The Behavioral Economics Institute (BEI)

BEI’s academic leadership is exemplified by its director, Professor Enrique Fatás, whose distinguished career spans top institutions in the UK, US, and Europe, and whose research has been published in the most prestigious scientific journals. The Institute brings together faculty from Universidad Europea and international research centers, fostering a vibrant, interdisciplinary community that includes economists, psychologists, political scientists, and health experts. This diversity is fundamental to understanding complex human behaviors and designing effective interventions.

BEI stands out for its explicit focus on applying behavioral insights to real-world problems. Its work ranges from financial decision-making and fiscal policy to health promotion and political participation, always with an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainability. The Institute’s research has direct policy relevance, as seen in its innovative approaches to improving public health outcomes, reducing risk factors like obesity and sedentary lifestyles, and enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of public institutions.

The Institute’s international stature is reflected in its ability to attract world-class speakers and collaborators from institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Oxford, London School of Economics, and Bocconi University. Its workshops and conferences, including the high-profile International Meeting in Experimental and Behavioral Social Sciences (IMEBESS), have positioned both Valencia and Universidad Europea as hubs for scientific exchange and policy innovation.

BEI’s commitment goes beyond research: it is deeply invested in knowledge transfer, ensuring that the insights generated are translated into practical solutions for governments, organizations, and society at large. The Institute’s events serve as unique platforms for interdisciplinary dialogue and the co-creation of innovative responses to contemporary governance challenges.

As Professor Fatás emphasizes, behavioral economics is an essential tool for building a more just, sustainable, and humane future. BEI’s work exemplifies how rigorous science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to real-world impact can come together to address the most urgent issues facing society today.

• Dr. Bruno Broseta
  Is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Valencia, and Head of the Business and Management Department. Broseta obtained his PhD in Economics at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) in 1997. His research focuses on mathematical microeconomics, game theory, economics of information, industrial economics, and networks. Dr. Broseta has made significant contributions to the theoretical and applied aspects of game theory, including topics such as strategic delegation, communication in repeated games, computational complexity in coordination, and price competition in multiproduct markets. He has published influential articles in leading journals, addressing issues like unmediated communication under incomplete information, computational complexity and communication in games, and dynamic models of monopoly and duopoly with Bayesian learning. Additionally, Broseta has served on national evaluation agencies and academic committees. His work has advanced the understanding of strategic behavior, information processing, and coordination in economic environments. Among his most influential publications is “Cognition and Behavior in Normal-Form Games: An Experimental Study,” co-authored with Miguel Costa-Gomes and Vincent P. Crawford and published in Econometrica in 2000, which is widely cited in the field of behavioral game theory. This work investigates how individuals make strategic decisions and the cognitive processes behind their choices. Dr. Broseta is also a co-author of the influential paper "Predicting How People Play Games: Reinforcement Learning in Experimental Games with Unique, Mixed Strategy Equilibria," which was published in the American Economic Review (AER) in 2001, together with Miguel Costa-Gomes and Vincent P. Crawford. This publication is a key contribution to behavioral game theory, analyzing how individuals behave in strategic games compared to theoretical predictions. Broseta has also published on topics such as computational complexity and communication in games, coordination and efficiency in economic environments, and the effects of information and technology on decision-making. His research has contributed to a deeper understanding of how real human behavior deviates from classical economic predictions, especially in strategic and competitive contexts.
• Dr. Frédéric Mertens de Wilmars
  Is a legal scholar and associate professor at the University of Valencia, specializing in human rights, social rights, and the legal status of women. His research and publications focus primarily on gender parity, the participation of women in governance, and equality law. Mertens de Wilmars has analyzed pioneering Spanish legislation on gender equality and gender-based violence, offering critical insights into their effectiveness and limitations. He also addresses issues such as the transmission of family names in Europe, discrimination in civil codes, and the legal recognition of same-sex parenthood. His work is recognized for proposing new interpretations of equality principles and for advancing the discussion on gender mainstreaming and anti-discrimination law in Europe.
• Dr. Lina María Restrepo-Plaza
  Is an Associate Professor of Economics at the School of Social Sciences, Universidad Europea de Valencia and a Senior Research Fellow at the Behavioral Economics Institute, Universidad Europea de Valencia. Lina is also a member of the Center of Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania. Lina Restrepo-Plaza obtained her PhD in Economics at the University of East Anglia in 2018. As a behavioral scientist, her work sits at the intersection of behavioral economics, political economy, and public policy. Her research is dedicated to understanding the drivers of behavioral change, particularly in contexts marked by violence, discrimination, sexual harassment, and climate change. She is recognized for her expertise in behavioral political economy, behavioral public policy, social norms and discrimination, forgiveness and reconciliation in post-conflict societies, and climate action and motivational incentives. Her research interests are discrimination and Social Norms, behavioral Consequences of Conflict, institution Building and Reconciliation, and climate Change and Motivational Crowding: She studies the integration of plural values and non-monetary incentives in environmental policy, particularly in payment for ecosystem services. Dr. Restrepo-Plaza main publications include "Payment for ecosystem services and motivational crowding: experimental insights regarding the integration of plural values via non-monetary incentives" (Ecosystem Services, 2021), "When ingroup favoritism is not the social norm: a lab-in-the-field experiment with victims and non-victims of conflict in Colombia" (Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2022), "Building inclusive institutions in polarized scenarios" (Constitutional Political Economy, 2023), and "When losses can be a gain: A large lab-in-the-field experiment on reference dependent forgiveness in Colombia" (Journal of Economic Psychology, 2022). Restrepo-Plaza has worked with international organizations such as the World Bank, ILO, USAID, the Colombian Central Bank, and the Council of Europe, as well as local NGOs and public agencies. Her applied research leverages behavioral science to address societal challenges and improve organizational performance.
• Dr. Cristina Fernández González
  Is an Assistant Professor in Criminology at the Universidad Europea de Valencia. She is also a researcher at the Center for the Research on Global Governance and a member of the Research Network on Responses to Corruption Linked to Transnational Organized Crime of the Iberoamerican Institute of the Hague. Dr. Fernández González holds a PhD in Rule of Law and Global Governance from the University of Salamanca, where her doctoral research focused on the criminological analysis of whistleblower decision-making in public sector corruption cases. Her academic and professional trajectory centers on criminology and criminal law, whistleblowing and protection of informants, public sector corruption and anti-corruption policy, compliance and governance, and innovation in criminology education, including digital and AI-based methodologies. She has contributed to anti-corruption policy development for the OECD and served on the Advisory Council of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, as well as collaborated with the Observatori Ciutadà Contra la Corrupció. Dr. Fernández González’s work is widely cited in Spanish-language criminology and governance literature, particularly in the areas of whistleblower protection, anti-corruption strategies, and educational innovation in legal studies. Her main publications include La confidencialidad de la protección al denunciante versus la transparencia de las instituciones, Instrumentos de gobernanza pública. Presente y futuro (2025), Motivaciones y resistencias para informar, Sistemas de información y protección de informantes en España (2025), Flipeed classroom e inteligencia artificial: formar en escenarios ficticios desde el ámbito criminológico. Construyendo el futuro de la educación superior en la era digital (2024), Enseñar criminología a través de recursos audiovisuales y plataformas streaming. Sobre la innovación docente universitaria y el progreso del derecho a la educación (2023), and Public compliance, Next-Generation y entorno rural: retos de la nueva modernidad, Rural renaissance: acción, promoción y resiliencia (2022).
• Dr. Thomas Kruiper
  Thomas Kruiper (PhD from University of Valencia, 2019) is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Universidad Europea de Valencia and IE University’s School of Global and Public Affairs (Madrid). Dr Kruiper is recognized for his expertise in international sanctions, peace and conflict studies, and his applied work in development cooperation, with his 2024 Routledge book being a significant recent scholarly contribution. His research interests are on international sanctions, international alliances, peace and conflict studies, peacebuilding, and development cooperation. Thomas teaches courses such as Conflict Analysis, Peace Building and Crisis Management, Security Alliances, and Political Theory at the Universidad Europea, and is the Director at Liberia Monitors, a consultancy evaluating NGO projects in Africa (notably Liberia and Uganda). Consultancy clients include international organizations such as Mercy Corps, UNDP, ECOWAS, the EU, and Irish Aid. His main publications include United Nations Sanctions Regimes and Selective Security, Routledge, 2024.
• Dr. Roberto Gómez Calvet
  Is an Associate Professor at the Department of Business and Management at the Universidad Europea de Valencia. Roberto is a leading researcher in energy efficiency, renewable energy policy, and sustainability, with a strong focus on quantitative analysis and applied policy in Spain and the EU. His work at Universidad Europea de Valencia bridges technical, economic, and management perspectives to address the challenges of the energy transition and sustainable development. Dr. Gómez Calvet holds a PhD in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Performance in the European Union from the Universitat Jaume I, a BSc (Hons) from the University of Manchester and a BSc in Industrial Engineering form the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. His research interests are energy efficiency and environmental performance, renewable energy integration and policy, sustainable development and business management, and quantitative methods in economics and business. Roberto Gómez Calvet has an extensive publication record, including Scaling solar photovoltaics into the grid: Challenges and opportunities in Germany, Energy Research and Social Science (2025), the 2030 power sector transition in Spain: Too little storage for so many planned solar photovoltaics? Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 174 (2023), Joint ventures and sustainable development. A bibliometric analysis, Sustainability, Vol. 12, Núm. 23, pp. 1-24 (2020)and Current state and optimal development of the renewable electricity generation mix in Spain Renewable Energy, Vol. 135, pp. 1108-1120 (2019).
• Dr. Fran García-Ull
  Is an Associate Professor at the Department of Business and Management of the Universidad Europea in Valencia, and a leading scholar in communication and digital privacy, with a strong interdisciplinary profile bridging research, teaching, and science communication in the digital age. Dr Garcia-Ull holds a PhD in Communication (cum laude), Universitat de València, and has extensive teaching experience in communication, data analytics, digital privacy, and artificial intelligence. His main research interests include digital privacy and data protection, artificial intelligence and ethics, disinformation and fake news, social networks and political communication, web accessibility, and data analytics and digital media. Fran García Ull is also known for his popular science outreach, with a strong presence on social media platforms, especially TikTok, where he discusses academic life, digital trends, and the challenges of misinformation. His main publications include Analyzing X Mentions to Uncover Micro-Clusters Interfering in Political Campaigns: A Case Study During the Spanish Elections, Frontiers in Communication, 2025, and Deepfakes: El próximo reto en la detección de noticias falsas, Anàlisi, 2021.
• Dr. Cristina Escamilla
  Is an Associate Professor at the Department of Law, School of Social Sciences, Universidad Europea de Valencia. Cristina Escamilla’s work is highly cited in the fields of traffic psychology, criminal profiling, and educational innovation. Her research has direct applications in road safety policy, offender rehabilitation, and university teaching methods. She is recognized for her multidisciplinary approach, integrating psychology, criminology, and education to address complex social issues. Dr Escamilla holds a PhD in Psychology, from the Universitat de València (2018), and her research Interests are criminal profiling and forensic psychology, personality and criminal psychology, traffic psychology and road safety, prevention and intervention for road traffic offenders, mindfulness, stress, and well-being in university populations, and educational innovation in criminology. Dr. Escamilla main Publications are A Psychological Profile of Drivers Convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 95, 380-390 (2023), Influence of Alcohol Consumption, Personality and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Traffic Offender, Psicothema, 34(3), 410 (2022), Effectiveness of Penitentiary Psychoeducational Interventions in Road Safety, The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 16(2), 87-96 (2024), How Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Experiential Avoidance are Related to Perceived Stress in a Sample of University Students, PLoS ONE, 18(2), e0280791 (2023), and Testing the Intermediary Role of Perceived Stress in the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Burnout Subtypes in a Large Sample of Spanish University Students, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7013 (2020).