Customary law has been criticized from very different angles. Rational choice theorists claim that what looks like custom is nothing but self-interest. Positivists doubt that anything beyond consent assumes the force of law. In this paper, we adopt an experimental approach to test these claims....

Punishees regularly ask for justification. But is justification also effective? To answer this question under controlled conditions, we have conducted a public goods experiment with central punishment. The authority is neutral – she does not benefit from contributions to the public good....

According to Adam Smith (1790), human selfishness can be restrained by introspection. We test the effect of introspection on people’s willingness to cooperate in a public good game. Drawing on the concept of identity utility (George A. Akerlof and Rachel E. Kranton, 2000), we show...

This paper examines the evolution of the employment rate in Romania. I employ a panel data approach, considering the 42 counties, in order to explore the relationship between labour productivity, average earnings, investments and employment. The results reveal a positive impact of the average...

This paper examines the evolution of some important macroeconomic indicators for the EU analysing the changes caused by the crisis in the last years and tries to find which one of them is affecting the employment rate. We therefore employ a panel data approach, considering the 27 countries. The...