We consider a modi¯ed pure public good game characterized by a pre-play negotiation stage, onwhich pairs of players can form binding cooperation commitments. As the introduced mecha-nism only supports pairwise rather than more inclusive commitments, it does not implement thee±cient outcome. We...

Many social networks have the following properties: (i) a short average distancebetween any two individuals; (ii) a high clustering coe±cient; (iii) segregation pat-terns; the presence of (iv) brokers and (v) hubs. (i) and (ii) de¯ne a small worldnetwork. This paper develops a strategic...

Recent research has cast some doubt on the general validity of outcome-basedmodels of social preferences. We develop a model based on cognitive dissonance thatfocuses on the importance of self-image. An experiment (a dictator game variant)tests the model.First, we nd that subjects whose choices...

We use a two-person linear voluntary contribution mechanism with stochastic marginal benefits from the public good to examine the effect of imperfect information on contributions levels. To assess prior risk attitudes, individual valuations of several risky prospects are elicited via a...

We show that the presence of loss aversion on the part of participantsin a Tullock imperfectly discriminating contest will significantlyreduce the proportion of the rent dissipated in the form of resourcesused up in the competition for that rent...

In line with the widely applied principle of just deserts, we assume that the severityof the penalty on a contract offender increases in the harm on the other. Whenthis principle holds, the influence of the efficiency of the agreement on the incentivesto abide by it crucially depends on whether...

We consider guilt averse agents and principals and study the effects ofguilt on optimal behavior of the principal and the agent in a moral hazardmodel.The principal’s contract proposal contains a target effort in addition tothe monetary incentive scheme. By accepting the agreement, the...

Experiments suggest that communication increases the contribution topublic goods (Ledyard, 1995). There is also evidence that, when contemplatinga lie, people trade off their private benefit from the lie with theharm it inflicts on others (Gneezy, 2005). We develop a model of bilateralpre-play...

This paper analyses the process of knowledge growth in a branch of medical science. Our study of scientific advances in glaucoma research is organized in two parts. In the first we present a qualitative overview of the problem sequences that have characterized 150 years of medical research in...

This paper examines the puzzlingly high unexploited momentum returns from a new perspective.We analyze characteristics of momentum traders in a sample of 692 fund managers. Wefind that momentum traders are “defined” by their short-term horizon, by a behavioural viewon the market and by a...