Social identity theory has become increasingly important for economists. I discuss the contribution of Van Bavel and Packer's "The Power of Us" in light of what economists (especially experimental ones) can learn from their research.

We investigate which form of “culture” is most effective in enhancing individual performance in creative tasks conducted in group settings. We present a series of experiments that test whether performance ranking and incentives succeed in instantiating a creative corporate culture. Being...

Excess entry refers to the high failure rate of new entrepreneurial ventures. Economic explanations suggest 'hit and run' entrants and risk-seeking behavior. A psychological explanation is that people (entrepreneurs) are overconfident in their abilities (Camerer & Lovallo, 1999). Characterizing...

The paper studies whether (and how) redistributive choices aim to reward others’ sacrifice of their own interest for the community’s sake and whether this introduces a trade-off between the willingness to reward cooperation and a pure meritocratic ideal. We design an online social preference...