Experimental economics is an important and growing field in which the underlying principles of economics are explored under laboratory conditions. The aim of the research group is to evaluate the theory and application of economics to environmental and resource issues. These include fishery management, market designs for water quantity and quality, ecosystem services and air quality. We also conduct experiments to research risk and uncertainty, adverse selection and moral hazards in natural resource management.
We are a group of researchers in the School of Economics and Finance at the University of Tasmania, Australia. We develop world-class research in the field of applied economic theory and experimental economics. We also provide an excellent Ph.D. program in experimental, ecological, and resource economics. The centre has an active visiting fellows program and encourages collaborative research projects. Our centre consists of two laboratories each containing 10 networked partitioned work-stations and an experimenter's office.
We are located in the Business Annex Building beside Hytten Hall. Here is a Google map of the campus.
For research and centre enquiries contact
Professor John Tisdell
Chair of Resource Economics
School of Economics and Finance
University of Tasmania
Hobart Tas 7001
Email: John Tisdell
Phone: +61 3 6226 1783
For all other enquiries:
John holds the Chair of Resource Economics at the University of Tasmania.
He has expertise in water management, and also many years experience in experimental economics in Australia. He has studied water management issues in Australia for more than 20 years. As the former Sustainable Water Allocation Program Leader and Deputy Director of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology he has an excellent knowledge of the linkages between sociol, economic and biophysical processes.
The specialised software needed to run these sessions has been created by Professor Tisdell in association with a consulting programmer.
Education:
B.Comm. (Economics)(University of Wollongong)
Ph.D. (University of Queensland)
Sayed is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania.
Sayed joined the School of Economics and Finance in October 2010. Prior to that, he was a PhD student and tutor in the School of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Western Australia. He also has more than four years of working experience in the field of natural resource policy and coastal zone management.
Education:
BSc (Hon’s) (Khulna University)
MSc (Khulna University)
Ph.D. (University of Western Australia)
Angus is a Researh Assistant at the University of Tasmania.
Angus plays an important role in managing the experimental laboratory. While studying for a degree in Economics Angus is busy maintaining the lab, recruiting students and running sessions.
Students interested in postgraduate study in environmental and resource economics, including Honours, Masters or Ph.D., should contact Professor John Tisdell to discuss possible topics and courses of study.
Students interested in Ph.D. level studies should have, or expect to obtain, first class honours or high second-class honours (IIA) in an appropriate discipline (eg. environmental science/management, economics).
TESS is a software platform developed by Professor Tisdell and a consulting programmer for conducting various economic experiments. This software is suitable for use in the following types of experiments:
Ztree has been developed by Urs Fischbacher at the University of Zurich (Fischbacher, 1999). This software is suitable for use in the following types of experiments:
Fischbacher, Urs (1999): z-Tree. Toolbox for Readymade Economic Experiments, IEW Working paper 21, University of Zurich.
A selection of publications associated with the Experimental Economics Laboratory are listed below according to date of publication and author.
Tisdell J.G. (2010) The Impact of Environmental Traders on Water Markets: An Experimental Analysis, Water Resources Research, 46, W03529, doi:10.1029/2009WR007930.
Tisdell J.G. (2010) Acquiring Water for Environmental Use in Australia: An Analysis of Policy Options, Water Resources Management, 24:1515-1530
Reeson A.F. and J.G. Tisdell (2008). Institutions, Motivations and Public Goods: An Experimental Test of Motivational Crowding', Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organisation, 68(1)273-281.
Tisdell, J.G. and Clowes D. (2008). The problem of uncertain non-point pollution credit production in point and non-point emission trading markets. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 9(1) 25-42.
Capon T. and Tisdell, J. (2007). An experimental comparison of individual decisions under risk and ambiguity with and without trade. Griffith University Experimental Economics, Working Paper 2007/1.
Tisdell, J.G. (2007) Bringing biophysical models into the economic lab: An experimental analysis of sediment trading in Australia. Ecological Economics 60( 3) 584-595. Ward, J.W., Connor, J, and Tisdell, J.G. (2007). Aligning policy and real world settings: An experimental economics approach to designing and testing a cap and trade salinity credit policy. In Experimental Methods in Environmental Economics.(eds.) J. Shogren, and T. Cherry. Routledge, Oxford.
Tisdell, J.G. (2006) Use of Market Based Instruments to Solve Natural Resource Problems in Australia, ICES Seminar Series, George Mason University, Washington.
Ward, J.R., J.G. Tisdell, Straton A. and Capon T. (2006) An empirical comparison of behavioural responses from field and laboratory trials to institutions to manage water as a common pool resource. Paper presented at the IASCP conference, Bali, Indonesia; June19-23, 2006. Ward, J, Tisdell J and Whitten S (2006) Experimentally Testing Institutions And Policy Instruments To Coordinate Groundwater Recharge in the Coleambally Irrigation Area. Paper presented at the AARES conference, 7-10 Feb, Sydney, Australia.
Connor J, J Ward, and J Tisdell (2005) Using Experimental Economics to Design a Diffuse Source Salinity Credit Trade Policy 2nd National Workshop of the Economics and Environment Network, Australian National University, Canberra.
Clowes, D., Tisdell, J.G. and G.McDonald (2005). Point-nonpoint water quality trading schems under abatement uncertainty: economic and environmental implications. 8th International Riversymposium, 6-9 September 2005, Brisbane, Australia.
Tisdell, J.G. (2005) Potential for market based instruments for point and non point source pollution management, 8th Annual AARES Symposium Markets for Water: Prospects for WA. Perth. Tisdell, J.G. (2005) Experimental economics: State of the science. Emerging Science Oversight Committee of CSIRO Workshop, Townsville. Tisdell, J.G. (2005) The impact of asymmetric information in natural resource tender systems, presented to the ANZSEE conference, Massey University. Tisdell, J.G. (2005) Combinatorial water markets, presented to the ANZSEE conference, Massey University.
Clowes, D., (2004). Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution - Information Problems. Catchword October 2004. CRC for Catchment Hydrology, Melbourne
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J.W. and T. Capon (2004) Impact of communication and information on a complex heterogeneous closed water catchment environment. Water Resources Research, 40, W09S03, doi:10.1029/2003WR002868.
Tisdell, J.G., (2003). Enhancement of the Water Market Reform Process: A Socioeconomic Analysis of Guidelines and Procedures for Trading in Mature Water Markets. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 03/10.
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J. and T. Grudzinski (2002). The Development of Water Reform In Australia. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 02/05.
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J. and T. Grudzinski (2001). Irrigator and Community Attitudes to Water Allocation & Trading in the Murrumbidgee Catchment. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 01/01.
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J. and T. Grudzinski (2001). Irrigator and Community Attitudes to Water Allocation & Trading in the Fitzroy Catchment. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 01/02.
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J. and T. Grudzinski (2001). Irrigator and Community Attitudes to Water Allocation & Trading in the Goulbourn-Broken Catchment. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 01/03.
Tisdell, J.G., Ward, J. and T. Grudzinski (2001). Irrigator and Community Attitudes to Water Allocation & Trading - A Comparative Study of the Goulbourn-Broken and Fitzroy Catchments. CRC for Catchment Hydrology Technical Report 01/05.
If you are a student at the University of Tasmania you can earn money by participanting in our experiments. By registering an expression of interest you will be emailed when sessions are available. Registration is restricted to UTAS students only. You can assess the registration system in one of two ways:
ON CAMPUS
If you are on campus using a UTAS computer, please click here
OFF CAMPUS
If you are off campus you need to connect to the University using UTAS VPN software.
Step #1. Download and run VPN software click here
Step #2. Once connected please click here
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