I study a formal mechanism that can sustain Pareto optimality in a new and very broad class of dilemma games. In the absence of a central authority that could enforce multilateral agreements, the mechanism is based on binding unilateral commitments, which condition a playerís (possibly...

We study how confidence bias affects investment in learning via experimentation, a mechanism critical for technology adoption under uncertainty. We hypothesize that bias direction and strength predict how willingness to experiment diverges from unbiased agents. We measure revealed and stated...

This study explores the way in which social information about giving impacts the stability of distributional preferences. We designed a two-stage treatment which varied the information participants received about the maximum amounts given to recipients. Information on maximum giving can...

This paper recounts an early attempt to promote the adoption of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat by small farmers. The instrument was a package not only of inputs, extension advice and supervision, but also – addressing risk aversion – a guaranteed net revenue. The scheme was...

This paper studies temporal factors influencing the effectiveness of don't drive appeals (DDAs) which policy-makers use to encourage motorists to voluntarily reduce driving during transitory high pollution episodes. We derive and empirically validate a theoretical framework for DDAs where the...

Extensive research has documented gender differences in the willingness to compete against others. Less attention has been given to situations where individuals must meet a standard of excellence to obtain rewards, such as promotions, grants, and publications. This paper investigates gender...

Thermodynamic laws are dominant and not deniable, we need to consider those in the context of system theory. From the system's perspective the entropy issue is decisive for the evaluation of future economic options and constraints. The paper sensitizes for entropic adequate firm acts in regard...

Randomized controlled trials remain underutilized in informing policy design, despite their potential. Moral objections to experimentation ("experiment aversion") have been proposed as an explanation. We present three studies with members of the general public and policy-makers that allow us to...

Ökologische Ökonomen trafen sich per Zoom in den Jahren 2021 und 2021 regelmäßig mit Mitarbeitern des Vatikans, um in einem Circle of Ecological Economic Elders (CoEEE) wichtige Impulse aus der 2015 veröffentlichten Enzyklika von Papst Franziskus "Laudato sí. Über die Sorge für das...