Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods

The Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods (German: Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung von Gemeinschaftsgütern) is an economics research institute located in Bonn, Germany. It is one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society, a non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes.

Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods

Abbreviation	MPI-EG
Formation	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Type	Research institute
Purpose	Research in collective goods
Headquarters	Bonn, Germany
Directors	Christoph Engel Axel Ockenfels Matthias Sutter
Directors Emeritus	Werner Güth Martin Hellwig
Scientific Advisory Board	Ingvild Almås Florian Englmaier Simon Gächter Friederike Mengel Silvia Saccardo
Parent organization	Max Planck Society
Website	(in English) (in German)

The institute studies the law, economics and politics of collective goods. In recent years, it has focused its research on better understanding how institutions influence economic behavior.

History

The institute was founded in 1997 by economists Christoph Engel and Adrienne Héritier as temporary project called "Common Goods: Law, Politics and Economics". It was transformed into a permanent institute in 2003.^[1]

Organization

The institute is part of the Max Planck Law research network. As of 2025, the institute is home to three main research groups: Market Design and Behavior, Experimental Economics, and Behavioral Economics and Data Science. They are led by economists Axel Ockenfels, Matthias Sutter, and Sebastian O. Schneider, respectively.^[2]