Breadth of Topics
The Research Master programme will give you the skills to engage with a broad range of issues faced by economists and by policy-makers. For example, recent research master thesis topics have included:
Methodology and Philosophy of Science: the methodology of causal inference techniques that use AI; the role of values in economics; idealized models in physics vs. economics; the methodology of synthetic control methods; the nature of mathematical explanations in the sciences.
Decision-Making and Rationality: bias in decision-making; nudges as a cure for misinformation; modeling agents using imprecise credences; animal models in neuroeconomics.
Political Philosophy: cooperation as the basis for socialism; the “non identity” problem and the duty to avert climate change; the relation between non-domination and equality; the nature of moral rights.
Applied Ethics: intellectual property rights and game theory; well-being in context; fairness in the housing market; the role of central banks in mitigating climate change; equity in education.
You can also get a sense of the kind of topics you will study on the programme by looking at our Preparatory reading list down below.
Depth of Focus
A unique feature of our programme is that all our courses are fully interdisciplinary, focusing not on economics alone, nor on philosophy alone, but instead on philosophy of economics. For each course, you will follow small seminars of roughly fifteen students, taught by leading experts in the field. In the seminars, teachers engage in a direct exchange of ideas with students, following a “master and apprentice” model. We are invested in your success, and you will be appointed an academic coach to help you get the most out of the programme.
Preparatory reading
Download the preparatory reading list here. This document contains some suggestions for readings that you might do to prepare for the programme. (Be extremely selective, because this list covers a wide variety of topics.)
The Curriculum
The curriculum takes two years to complete. If you already have a masters degree in philosophy of economics, then an accelerated programme may be possible. The curriculum focuses on “analytic” philosophy of economics, rather than “continental” philosophy of economics.
Core Courses in Philosophy of Economics (37.5 ECTS)
You will take a set of core courses that provide a rigorous and comprehensive foundation in philosophy of economics. Together, these courses introduce the central concepts, methods, and questions that structure contemporary debates across economics, political philosophy, and social theory. This broad training is essential for becoming a well-rounded researcher: even students who later specialise—for example in applied ethics or political philosophy—benefit from a strong grasp of economic methodology, rational choice theory, and critical perspectives on economic theory.
Methodology of Economics (Dr Christopher Clarke, 7.5 ECTS)
This course examines how economists explain and justify their claims. You will study causal inference, econometrics, and idealised modelling, and critically assess economic methods using tools from the philosophy of science.
Rationality and Choice (Prof Conrad Heilmann, 7.5 ECTS)
This course explores how economists and philosophers understand individual and collective decision-making. Topics include behavioural economics, preferences, game theory, and foundational questions about rationality and agency.
Ethics and Economics (Prof Constanze Binder, 7.5 ECTS)
This course introduces normative frameworks for evaluating economic institutions and policies. You will assess competing views on capitalism and socialism, distributive justice, and concrete policy proposals such as universal basic income and climate policy.
Critical Perspectives on Economics (Dr Christopher Clarke & Prof Conrad Heilmann, 7.5 ECTS)
This course engages critically with approaches outside the economic mainstream, with a particular focus on Keynesian and post-Keynesian traditions. Students gain historical and theoretical tools for questioning dominant economic paradigms.
Justice in the Economics and Politics of Wealth (Prof Constanze Binder, 3.75 ECTS)
This course introduces central debates in analytic political philosophy, with a particular focus on their relevance for economics, especially welfare economics.
Justice in the Economics and Politics of Capitalism (Dr Nicholas Vrousalis, 3.75 ECTS)
This course introduce further debates in analytic political philosophy, with a particular focus on their relevance for economics.
We previously offered a course on the History of Economic Thought. This has now been replaced by the course on Critical Perspectives on Economics, which touches upon various historical controversies in economics, albeit from a philosophical perspective.
Specialist Courses in Philosophy of Economics (22.5 ECTS)
In addition to the core curriculum, you will take 22.5 ECTS of specialist courses that focus on cutting-edge topics in philosophy of economics. These courses are research-driven and often reflect current debates, meaning that the exact offerings vary from year to year. They give you direct exposure to live philosophical questions and help you develop the skills required to contribute to advanced research.
Social Ontology (Dr Giulia Napolitano, 7.5 ECTS)
This course investigates the nature of social reality, analysing how institutions, norms, roles, and social structures come into existence. It sheds light on phenomena such as money, collective action, social power, and structural injustice.
Climate Change and the Demands of Justice (Dr Laura Garcia-Portela, 3.75 ECTS)
This course examines how individuals, institutions, and policymakers ought to respond to the climate crisis, drawing on competing theories of social and global justice.
The Philosophy of Work and AI (Dr Nicholas Vrousalis, 3.75 ECTS)
This course analyses work in the age of automation, evaluating concepts such as exploitation, meaningful work, algorithmic management, and responsibility to assess what a just future of work with AI should look like.
Advanced Critical Theory: Readings in Marxism (Dr Sjoerd van Tuinen & Dr Ryan Kopaitich, 7.5 ECTS)
This course offers an advanced study of Marxist thought on economics, class, and power—from its origins to contemporary developments—highlighting its ongoing relevance to social and economic critique.
Academic Freedom, Freedom of Speech, and the University (Prof Constanze Binder, 3.75 ECTS)
This course examines the role of economists and other academic researchers in pluralistic democracies, clarifying what academic freedom entails, how it differs from free speech, and why it matters for democratic societies.
Social Choice Theory and Political Representation (Dr Stefan Wintein, 7.5 ECTS)
Social choice theory is a branch of theoretical economics that studies voting systems and theories of representation. This course introduces the basics, including influential arguments suggesting that all voting systems face deep limitations in capturing the “will of the people.”
Democratic Innovations (Dr Frederik Van De Putte, 3.75 ECTS)
This course explores alternatives to traditional models of democracy, focusing on deliberation, participation, and institutional innovation beyond voting and representation alone.
Elective courses in philosophy (15 EC)
You can take elective courses in philosophy from a large variety of options, such as those offered in the Erasmus School of Philosophy's master's programme Philosophy Now, and courses offered at the the Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW). Permission can also be granted to take some elective courses in economics.
Research in the philosophy of economics (45 EC)
The Research Master benefits from the unique research environment offered by the Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE). You are trained in interdisciplinary research skills in the following modules: (1) the academic skills course; (2) the EIPE research seminars course in which you participate in the bi-weekly research seminar along with the EIPE PhD students and the EIPE academic staff; (3) the PhD proposal / policy report course in which you are trained to write a PhD proposal or a policy report.
Finally, there is the 20,000 word Research Master thesis (30 EC). The thesis allows you to specialize in any area of philosophy of economics that you like, or an adjacent subfield of analytic philosophy such as political philosophy, applied ethics, or philosophy of science. The Research Master programme adopts a “master apprentice” model for thesis supervision. This means you will have regular meetings throughout your second year with your thesis supervisor, a member of the EIPE staff who has expertise on your topic. You discuss your ideas with them, and they will teach you how to craft an excellent thesis.