Prof. Dr. Alois Stutzer
Professor (Politische Ökonomie)
Office
WWZ / Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät
Professur Politische Ökonomie
Peter Merian-Weg 6
4002
Basel
Schweiz
Prof. Dr. Alois Stutzer is Professor of Political Economy. He studies the consequences of political institutions on the behavior and well-being of various political actors, most of all the ordinary people. He is also interested in questions from the fields of public economics, law and economics and psychology and economics The research topics are correspondingly broad. Currently, he investigates, for example, the institutional determinants of political selection, the role of media attention on the influence of special interest groups in politics, the consequences of political participation rights on the integration of immigrants, and the ability of individuals to predict their subjective well-being in the future.
In teaching, Prof. Stutzer offers lectures in the field of political economy at all levels. He also teaches a lecture on the economic behavioral model and its psychological extensions.
Professional Affiliations
Director of the Center for Research in Economics and Well-Being (CREW)
Former principal investigator within the NCCR - The Migration-Mobility Nexus
Research Fellow of the Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA)
Research Fellow of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
Schib, Tobias, Michael A. Strebel and Alois Stutzer (2025). Latent Political Engagement: Insights from New Measures for Local Democracy. WWZ Working Paper No. 2025/03. [ paper ]
Liu, Kelly J. and Alois Stutzer (2025). Zero-Sum Beliefs, Political Views, and Life Satisfaction in a Rich Country. WWZ Working Paper No. 2025/02. [ paper ]
Balles, Patrick, Ulrich Matter and Alois Stutzer (2025). The Political Economics of Attention. In: Christian Björnskov and Richard Jong-A-Pin (eds). Forthcoming in the Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Choice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. [ paper ]
Liu, Kelly J. and Alois Stutzer (2024). The Role of Social Mobility Experience in Zero-Sum Beliefs. IZA Discussion Paper No. 17407. [ link ]
Balles, Patrick, Ulrich Matter and Alois Stutzer (2024). The Political Economy of Attention and Electoral Accountability. WWZ Working Paper No. 2024/10. [ link | paper ]
Balles, Patrick, Ulrich Matter and Alois Stutzer (2024). Special Interest Groups versus Voters and the Political Economics of Attention. Economic Journal 134(662), 2290–2320 [ link | revised version ]
Jansen, Benjamin and Alois Stutzer (2024). Affective Partisan Polarization and Citizens’ Attitudes and Behavior in Swiss Democracy. WWZ Working Paper No. 2024/04. [ link | paper | updated version | post Defacto | faculty blog ]
Stutzer, Alois (2024). Public Policy and Happiness. In: Hilke Brockmann and Roger Fernandez-Urbano (eds.). (2024). Encyclopedia of Happiness, Quality of Life and Subjective Wellbeing. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing: 56–64. [ link ]
Kalbfuss, Jörg, Reto Odermatt and Alois Stutzer (2024). Medical Marijuana Laws and Mental Health in the United States. Health Economics, Policy and Law 19(3), 307–322. [ link ]
Auer, Daniel, Michaela Slotwinski, Achim Ahrens, Dominik Hangartner, Selina Kurer, Stefanie Kurt und Alois Stutzer (2024). Social Assistance and Refugee Crime. CESifo Working Paper No. 11051. Munich: CESifo. [ link ]
Balles, Patrick, Ulrich Matter and Alois Stutzer (2023). Television Market Size and Political Accountability in the US House of Representatives. European Journal of Political Economy 80, 102459. [ link ]
Slotwinski, Michaela, Alois Stutzer and Pieter Bevelander (2023). From participants to citizens? Democratic voting rights and naturalisation behaviour. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 49(13), 3184-3204. [ link | UniNews | policy brief in Swedish ]
Slotwinski, Michaela and Alois Stutzer (2023). Women Leaving the Playpen: The Emancipating Role of Female Suffrage. Economic Journal 133(650), 812–844. [ link | blog post | UniNews ]
Stutzer, Alois, Thorsten Henne and Reto Odermatt (2023). Aspiration Theory. In: Filomena Maggino (ed.). Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham: 288-292. [ link ]
Hansen, Kerstin F. and Alois Stutzer (2022). Parental Unemployment, Social Insurance and Child Well-Being across Countries. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 204: 600-617. [ link ]
Schmid, Christian P. R., Nicolas Schreiner and Alois Stutzer (2022). Transfer Payment Systems and Financial Distress: Insights from Health Insurance Premium Subsidies. Journal of the European Economic Association, 20(5): 1829-1858. [ link | press coverage: Die Volkswirtschaft ]
Odermatt, Reto and Alois Stutzer (2022). Does the Dream of Home Ownership Rest upon Biased Beliefs? A Test Based on Predicted and Realized Life Satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23(8): 3731-3763. [ link | UniNews | press coverage: HealthDay, SD | IZA summary | IZA Zf. ]
Zimmermann, Severin and Alois Stutzer (2022). The Consequences of Hosting Asylum Seekers for Citizens’ Policy Preferences. European Journal of Political Economy, 73: 102130 [ link | blog post ]
Odermatt, Reto, Nattavudh Powdthavee and Alois Stutzer (2021). Are Newly Self-Employed Overly Optimistic About Their Future Well-Being? Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 95: 101779 [ link | UniNews ]
Knechtl, Valentin and Alois Stutzer (2021). Swiss Municipal Data Merger Tool: Open-Source Software for the Compilation of Longitudinal Municipal-Level Data. Swiss Political Science Review, 27(4): 799-808 [ link ]
Meier, Armando N., Reto Odermatt and Alois Stutzer (2021). Tobacco Sales Prohibition and Teen Smoking. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 188: 998-1014. [ link ]
Hansen, Kerstin F. and Alois Stutzer (2021). Experiencing Booms and Busts in the Welfare State and Support for Redistribution. IZA Discussion Paper No. 14327. Bonn: IZA. [ link | paper ]
Stutzer, Alois and Michaela Slotwinski (2021). Power Sharing at the Local Level: Evidence on Opting-In for Non-Citizen Voting Rights. Constitutional Political Economy, 32(1): 1-30. [ link ]
Stutzer, Alois (2020). Happiness and Public Policy: A Procedural Perspective. Behavioural Public Policy, 4(2): 210-225. [ link | paper ]
Goette, Lorenz and Alois Stutzer (2020). Blood Donations and Incentives: Evidence from a Field Experiment. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 170: 52-74. [ link | paper ]
Slotwinski, Michaela, Alois Stutzer and Roman Uhlig (2019). Are Asylum Seekers More Likely to Work With More Inclusive Labor Market Access Regulations? Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics. [ link ]
Meier, Armando N., Lukas Schmid and Alois Stutzer (2019). Rain, Emotions and Voting for the Status Quo. European Economic Review, 119: 434-451. [ link | paper | blog post ]
Stutzer, Alois, Michael Baltensperger and Armando N. Meier (2019). Overstrained Citizens? The Number of Ballot Propositions and the Quality of the Decision Process in Direct Democracy. European Journal of Political Economy, 59: 483-500. [ link | paper ]
Matter, Ulrich and Alois Stutzer (2019). Does Public Attention Reduce the Influence of Moneyed Interests? Policy Positions on SOPA/PIPA Before and After the Internet Blackout. Economic Inquiry, 57(4): 1879-1895. [ link | paper ]
Slotwinski, Michaela and Alois Stutzer (2019). The Deterrent Effect of an Anti-Minaret Vote on Foreigners' Location Choice. Journal of Population Economics, 32(3): 1043–1095. [ link | paper ]
Odermatt, Reto and Alois Stutzer (2019). (Mis-)Predicted Subjective Well-Being Following Life Events. Journal of the European Economic Association, 17(1): 245–283. [ link | paper ]
Frey, Bruno S. and Alois Stutzer (2019). Public Choice and Happiness. In: Roger D. Congleton, Bernard Grofman and Stefan Voigt (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Public Choice, Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 779-795. [ link | paper ]
Braendle, Thomas and Alois Stutzer (2019). Voters and Representatives: How Should Representatives Be Selected? In: Roger D. Congleton, Bernard Grofman and Stefan Voigt (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Public Choice, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 24-43. [ link ]
Odermatt, Reto and Alois Stutzer (2018). Tobacco Control Policies and Smoking Behavior in Europe: More Than Trends? WWZ Working Paper No. 2018/24. [ link | paper ]
Odermatt, Reto and Alois Stutzer (2018). Subjective Well-Being and Public Policy. In: Ed Diener, Shigehiro Oishi and Louis Tay (eds.). Handbook of Well-Being. Noba Scholar Handbook Series: Subjective Well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. DOI:nobasch [ link ]
Gorinas, Cédric, Michaela Slotwinski and Alois Stutzer (2017). Democratic Involvement and Immigrants’ Compliance with the Law. IZA Discussion Paper No. 10550. [ paper ]
Selection of Public Servants into Politics. Journal of Comparative Economics, 44: 696-719, 2016. (with Thomas Braendle) [ link | paper ]
Limited Self-Control, Obesity, and the Loss of Happiness. Health Economics, 25: 1409–1424, 2016. (with Armando N. Meier) [ link | paper ]
The Role of Party Politics in Medical Malpractice Tort Reforms. European Journal of Political Economy, 42: 17-35, 2016. (with Ulrich Matter) [ link ]
Smoking Bans, Cigarette Prices and Life Satisfaction. Journal of Health Economics, 44: 176-194, 2015. (with Reto Odermatt) [ link | paper | press coverage: Tagesanzeiger ]
The Role of Lawyer-Legislators in Shaping the Law: Evidence from Voting on Tort Reforms. Journal of Law and Economics, 58(2):357-384, 2015. (with Ulrich Matter)
[ link | paper | online appendix ]
pvsR: An Open Source Interface to Big Data on the American Political Sphere. PLOS ONE, 10(7): e0130501, 2015. (with Ulrich Matter) [ paper | BITSS blog entry ]
The Effects of Voting Costs on the Democratic Process and Public Finances. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 7(1): 141-171, 2015. (with Roland Hodler and Simon Luechinger) [ link | paper | online appendix ]
Economics and Psychology. A Promising New Cross-Disciplinary Field.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007. (edited with Bruno S. Frey) [ introduction ] [ link ]
Happiness and Economics: How the Economy and Institutions Affect Human Well-Being.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ announcement ]
Translation into Japanese published with Diamond, Tokyo 2005.
Translation into Chinese published with Beijing University Press, Beijing 2006.
Translation into Italian published with Il Sole 24 ORE, Milan 2006.
Eine ökonomische Analyse menschlichen Wohlbefindens.
Dissertation, Universität Zürich, 2001. (Published with Shaker Verlag, Aachen, 2003)
[ link ]
Economic Approaches to Understanding Change in Happiness. In: Kennon M. Sheldon and Richard E. Lucas (eds.). Stability of Happiness. Amsterdam: Elsevier: 219-244, 2014. (with Nattavudh Powdthavee) (also published as IZA Discussion Paper No. 8131, IZA, Bonn, 2014). [ link ]
Economic Consequences of Mispredicting Utility. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(4): 937-956, 2014. (with Bruno Frey) [ paper ]
Governance, Bureaucratic Rents and Well-Being Differentials Across U.S. States. Oxford Economic Papers, 66(2): 443-464, 2014. (with Simon Luechinger and Mark Schelker) [ paper | appendix ]
Is Camera Surveillance an Effective Measure of Counterterrorism? Defence and Peace Economics 24(1): 1-14, 2013. (with Michael Zehnder) [ link | paper ]
Political Selection of Public Servants and Parliamentary Oversight. Economics of Governance 14(1): 45-76, 2013. (with Thomas Brändle) [ link | paper ]
Recent Developments in the Economics of Happiness: A Selective Overview. In: Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (eds.). Recent Developments in the Economics of Happiness. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2013. (with Bruno S. Frey) (also published as IZA Discussion Paper No. 7078, IZA, Bonn, 2013) [ paper ]
Recent Developments in the Economics of Happiness. Edited volume with Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, 2013. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ link ]
Economics and the Study of Individual Happiness. In: Susan A. David, Ilona Boniwell and Amanda Conley Ayers (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Happiness. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 431-447, 2013. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ link ]
The Use of Happiness Research for Public Policy. Social Choice and Welfare 38(4): 659-674, 2012. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Suboptimal Choices and the Need for Experienced Individual Well-Being in Economic Analysis. International Journal of Happiness and Development 1(1): 63-85, 2012. (with Christopher Hsee and Yuval Rottenstreich ) [ free download ]
Active Decisions and Prosocial Behaviour: A Field Experiment in Blood Donation. Economic Journal 121(556), 2011, pp. F476-F493. (with Lorenz Goette and Michael Zehnder) [ link ]
TV Channels, Self Control and Happiness. B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy 10(1): 2010, Article 86. (with Christine Benesch and Bruno S. Frey) [ link ]
The Life Satisfaction Approach to Environmental Valuation. Annual Review of Resource Economics 2, 2010, pp. 139-60. (with Bruno S. Frey and Simon Luechinger) [ link ]
Public Servants in Parliament: Theory and Evidence on Its Determinants in Germany. Public Choice 145(1/2), 2010, 223-252. (with Thomas Brändle) [ link ]
Prosocial Motivation and Blood Donations: A Survey of the Empirical Literature. Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy 37(3), 2010, pp. 149-154. (with Lorenz Goette and Beat Frey) [ link ]
Recent Advances in the Economics of Individual Subjective Well-Being. Social Research 77(2), 2010, pp. 679-714. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ] [ link journal ]
Why Does Unemployment Hurt the Employed? Evidence from the Life Satisfaction Gap between the Public and the Private Sector. Journal of Human Resources 45(4), 2010, pp. 998-1045. (with Simon Lüchinger and Stephan Meier) [ paper ]
Approval of Equal Rights and Gender Differences in Well-Being. Journal of Population Economics 23(3), 2010, pp. 933-962. (with Rafael Lalive) [ paper ]
Self-Selection Models for Public and Private Sector Job Satisfaction. In: Solomon W. Polachek and Konstantinos Tatsiramos (eds.). Jobs, Training and Worker Well-Being. Research in Labor Economics, Volume 30. Bingley, UK: Emerald, 2010, pp. 233-251. (with Simon Luechinger and Rainer Winkelmann)
Ökonomische Überlegungen zur Kameraüberwachung als Maßnahme gegen den Terrorismus. DIW Quarterly Journals of Economic Research No. 4/2009, 2009, pp. 119-135. (with Michael Zehnder) [ paper | link ]
The Life Satisfaction Approach to Valuing Public Goods: The Case of Terrorism. Public Choice 138 (3-4), 2009, pp. 317-345. (with Bruno S. Frey and Simon Luechinger) [ paper | link ]
Free Cholesterol Testing as a Motivation Device in Blood Donations: Evidence from Natural Field Experiments. Transfusion 49(3), 2009, pp. 524-531. (with Lorenz Goette, Gürcan Yavuzcan and Beat Frey) [ paper | link ]
Measuring Well-Being Across Europe: Description of the ESS Well-being Module and Preliminary Findings. Social Indicators Research 91(3), 2009, pp. 301315. (with Felicia A. Huppert, Nic Marks, Andrew Clark, Johannes Siegrist, Joar Vittersø and Morten Wahrendorf) [ link ]
Bureaucratic Rents and Life Satisfaction. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 24(2), 2008, pp. 476-488 (with Simon Luechinger and Stephan Meier).
[ abstract | paper ]
Stress That Doesn't Pay: The Commuting Paradox. Scandinavian Journal of Economics 110(2), 2008, pp. 339-366 (with Bruno S. Frey)
[ abstract | paper | blog Business Week | blog American Prospect ]
Is Volunteering Rewarding in Itself? Economica, 75(1), 2008, pp. 39-59. (with Stephan Meier) [ abstract | paper ]
The Impact of Postal Voting on Participation, Evidence for Switzerland. Swiss Political Science Review 13(2), 2007, pp. 167-202. (with Simon Luechinger and Myra Rosinger)
[ paper | abstract ]
Does Watching TV Make Us Happy? Journal of Economic Psychology, 28(3), 2007, pp. 283-313. (with Bruno S. Frey and Christine Benesch) [ paper | abstract ]
Calculating Tragedy: Assessing the Costs of Terrorism. Journal of Economic Surveys 21(1), 2007, pp. 1-24. (with Bruno S. Frey and Simon Luechinger) [ paper | abstract | link ]
Direct Democracy: Designing a Living Constitution. In: Roger Congleton and Birgitta
Swedenborg (eds). Democratic Constitutional Design and Public Policy, Analysis and Evidence. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006, pp. 39-80. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Mispredicting Utility and the Political Process. In: Edward J. McCaffery and Joel Slemrod (eds). Behavioral Public Finance . Russell Sage Foundation, 2006, pp. 113-140. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Does Marriage Make People Happy, Or Do Happy People Get Married? Journal of Socio-Economics 35(2), 2006, pp. 326-347. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Making International Organizations More Democratic. Review of Law and Economics 1(3),
2005, pp. 305-330. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper | link ]
Demokratische Beteiligung und Staatsausgaben: Die Auswirkungen des Frauenstimmrechts. Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics 141(4), 2005, pp. 617-650. (with Lukas Kienast) [ paper ]
Happiness Research: State and Prospects. Review of Social Economy 62(2), 2005, pp.
207-228. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Beyond Outcomes: Measuring Procedural Utility. Oxford Economic Papers 57(1), 2005,
pp. 90-111. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Reported Subjective Well-Being: A Challenge for Economic Theory and Economic Policy.
Schmollers Jahrbuch 124(2), 2004, pp. 191-231. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
The Role of Social Work Norms in Job Searching and Subjective Well-Being. Journal of the European Economic Association 2(4), 2004, pp. 696-719.
(with Rafael Lalive) [ paper | link ]
The Role of Income Aspirations in Individual Happiness. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 54(1), 2004, pp. 89-109. [ paper | abstract ]
Introducing Procedural Utility: Not Only What but also How Matters. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 160(3), 2004, pp. 377-401. (with Bruno S. Frey and Matthias Benz) [ paper ]
Do Workers Enjoy Procedural Utility. Applied Economics Quarterly 49(2), 2003, pp. 149-172. (with Matthias Benz) [ paper ]
Are Voters Better Informed When They Have a Larger Say in Politics? Evidence for the European Union and Switzerland. Public Choice 119(1-2), 2004, pp. 31-59. (with Matthias Benz) [ paper | link ]
Was erklärt die gestiegenen Managerlöhne? Ein Diskussionsbeitrag. Die Unternehmung, 57(1), 2003, pp. 5-19. (mit Matthias Benz) [ paper ]
What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research? Journal of Economic Literature 40, 2002, pp. 402-435. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper | abstract ]
Soziale Arbeitsnorm und Arbeitslosigkeit in der Schweiz. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik 138(3), 2002, pp. 293-316. (with Rafael Lalive) [ paper ]
Skalenerträge in der öffentlichen Kernverwaltung. Eine empirische Analyse anhand von Gemeindefusionen. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 8(1), 2002, pp. 27-50. (with Simon Lüchinger) [ paper ]
Economics and Psychology: From Imperialistic to Inspired Economics. Revue de philosophie economique 4, 2001/2002, pp. 5-22. (with Bruno S. Frey)
Outcome, Process and Power in Direct Democracy. New Econometric Results. Public Choice 107(3-4), 2001, pp. 271-293. (with Bruno S. Frey and Marcel Kucher)
Latent Entrepreneurship Across Nations. European Economic Review 45(4-6), 2001, pp. 680-691. (with David G. Blanchflower and Andrew J. Oswald) [ abstract ]
Happiness, Economy and Institutions. Economic Journal 110 (466), 2000, pp. 918-938. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ abstract | comment in The Economist ]
Maximising Happiness? German Economic Review 1 (2), 2000, pp. 145-167. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ abstract ]
Auf dem Weg zum Freihandel für Agrargüter. Austrian Journal of Agricultural Research 51(4), 2000, pp. 283-290. [ abstract ]
Measuring Preferences by Subjective Well-Being. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 155 (4), 1999, pp. 755-778. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ abstract ]
Policy Consequences of Happiness Research. In: Stefano Bartolini, Ennio Bilancini, Luigino Bruni and Pier Luigi Porta (eds.) Policies for Happiness. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ link ]
Should National Happiness Be Maximized? In Amitava Krishna Dutt and Benjamin Radcliff (eds.). Happiness, Economics, and Politics: Toward a Multi-Disciplinary Approach. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2009. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Happiness When Temptation Overwhelms Willpower. In Amitava Krishna Dutt and Benjamin Radcliff (eds.). Happiness, Economics, and Politics: Toward a Multi-Disciplinary Approach. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2009. [ paper ]
Environmental Morale and Motivation. In: Alan Lewis (ed.). The Cambridge
Handbook of Psychology and Economic Behaviour. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. 406-428. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
What Happiness Research Can Tell Us About Self-Control Problems and Utility Misprediction. In: Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (eds.) Economics and Psychology. A Promising New Cross-Disciplinary Field. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007, pp. 169-195. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Testing Theories of Happiness. In: Luigino Bruni and Pierluigi Porta (eds.). Economics and Happiness. Framing the Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 116-146. (with Bruno S. Frey) [ paper ]
Aktienoptionen für Topmanager - Die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen eines Motivationsinstruments. In: Bruno S. Frey und Margit Osterloh (Hrsg.) Managing Motivation. Wie Sie die neue Motivationsforschung für Ihr Unternehmen nutzen können. Wiesbaden: Gabler, 2000, pp. 105-134. (with Matthias Benz and Marcel Kucher)
[ announcement ]