The higher our aspirations, the higher the probability that we have to adjust them downwards when forming more realistic expectations later on. This paper shows that the costs induced by high aspirations are not trivial. We first develop a theoretical framework to identify the factors that...

In order to address the impact of regulation on ethical concerns of consumers, westudy the e¤ect of a minimum wage. In our experimental market, consumers havemonopsony power, firms engage in Bertrand competition, and workers are passiverecipients of a wage payment. Two treatments are employed,...

In an information cascade experiment participants are confronted with artificial predecessors predicting in line with the BHW model (Bikchandani et al.,1992). Using the BDM (Becker et al., 1964) mechanism we study participants'probability perceptions based on maximum prices for participating in...

In this paper, we analyze a principal's optimal feedback policy in tournaments. We close agap in the literature by assuming the principal to be unable to commit to a certain policy atthe beginning of the tournament...

Theoretical analyses of (optimal) performance measures are typically performed within therealm of the linear agency model. This model implies that, for a given compensation scheme,the agent's optimal effort is unrelated to the amount of noise in the performance measure...

When a deficit occurs in the funding of collective goods, it is usually covered by raising theamount of taxes or by rationing the supply of the goods. This article compares the efficiencyof these institutions. We report the results of a 2x2 experiment based on a game in the firststage of which...

Does gender play a role in the context of team work? Our results based on areal-effort experiment suggest that performance depends on the composition of theteam. We find that female and male performance di¤er most in mixed teams withrevenue sharing between the team members, as men put in...

Loss aversion can occur in riskless and risky choices. Yet, there is no evidence whetherpeople who are loss averse in riskless choices are also loss averse in risky choices. Wemeasure individual-level loss aversion in riskless choices in an endowment effect experimentby eliciting both WTA and...

The population of most developed societies is ‘graying’. As life expectancy increases and thelarge baby-boom generation approaches retirement age, this has critical consequences formaintaining a high standard of living and the sustainability of pension systems. In the light ofthese labor-force...

The measurement of social norms plays a pivotal role in many social sciences.While economists predominantly conduct experiments, sociologistsrather employ (factorial) surveys. Both methods, however, suer from distinctweaknesses. Experiments, on the one hand, often fall short in themeasurement of...