El-Erian Professor of Behavioural Economics and Policy
Director of the El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy
Professorial Fellow of Queens’ College
Dr. oec. (University of Hohenheim)
I am a behavioural economist and consumer researcher. My research interests focus on the theory and application of behavioural insights to promote behavioural change in individuals and organisations towards societal welfare and sustainable development. I have two decades of experience with high-level policy consulting on consumer behaviour and policy, including with the EU and World Bank, as we as governments worldwide.
I’m the inaugural Director of the El-Erian Institute for Behavioural Economics and Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School and a member of the Economics and Policy Subject Group.
Applying rigorous empirical research on the effectiveness and acceptability of behavioural insights to policymaking supports the change towards more sustainable consumption, production, and organisations.
Professional experience
Lucia brings 2 decades of experience with high-level policy consulting on consumer behaviour and behavioural policy. She has been founding chair of the Advisory Council for Consumer Affairs of the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (2014-2018). She has also been a member of the German Bioeconomy Council, the German Council for Sustainable Development (2010-2019), and a regular member of high-level scientific committees and ad hoc groups consulting for the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on sustainability issues (eg the Ethics Commission after Fukushima, 2011). Beyond the German government, Lucia has consulted for international organisations (EU, OECD, UNEP, World Bank, Inter American Bank) and governments worldwide on making use of behavioural insights.
Her academic achievement has been rewarded with being elected as a lifelong member of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering. She is also an honorary Leibniz Professor at the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen, and an Elected Member of the Technical Academy of Science of Germany.
Lucia is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Consumer Policy (SpringerNature), and on the editorial board of Behavioural Public Policy (Oxford University Press) and Food Policy (Elsevier).
She is a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report.
At Queens’ College, she is Academic Director of the YNOT Institute: Data Science for Equity.
Previous appointments
Professor Reisch was a professor of consumer behaviour and policy at Copenhagen Business School prior to joining Cambridge Judge Business School.
News and insights
ESG and sustainability
Eco-friendly dining: food app layout cuts meal carbon footprint
Positioning of dishes and restaurants on food-delivery apps like Just Eat and DoorDash significantly reduces the average meal carbon footprint, says study led by Cambridge behavioural economists.
Research centre news
Third behavioural public policy conference highlights new research
Discover insights from the third International Behavioural Public Policy Conference at the El-Erian Institute, where global leaders discuss advancements in behavioural public policy.
Behavioural economics
How digital media impacts child development
Research co-authored by Professor Lucia Reisch of Cambridge Judge finds link between digital media exposure and impulsivity and cognitive inflexibility, particularly for girls.
Media coverage
Harvard Business Review | 14 February 2024
Nudging employees to make more sustainable choices
Professor Lucia Reisch co-authored an article on how Porsche used nudge management for more sustainable behaviour in convincing its “petrol-head” employees to instead drive electric vehicles.
“When nudges are tailored to the respective corporate context, and when modes and timing of their placement are orchestrated in an intelligent way, they represent an effective and non-patronizing way of creating more sustainable employee behavior and, over time, have the potential to evolve an entire company culture — maintaining the unique heritage of the brand.”
Project Syndicate | 28 July 2023
Defaulting to plant-based foods
In this article Professor Lucia Reisch explores what individuals can do about the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Institute of Directors | 24 March 2023
From the ‘C-Suite’ to ‘Gen-Z’ – why ESG needs to drive the new digital agenda
Lucia Reisch, Professor of Behavioural Economics & Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School, shares her thoughts in this article about the importance of ESG in today’s economy.
ConSalud, 12 July 2022
Are healthy food messages and labels really effective?