This paper investigates collective denial and willful blindness in groups, organizations and markets. Agents with anticipatory preferences, linked through an interaction structure, choose how to interpret and recall public signals about future prospects. Wishful thinking (denial of bad news) is...

Communication is a transaction in which man invents and assigns meanings to achieve its objectives. In this context, psychological theories of communication emphasize different components of human communication, including attitudes, intentions and conditions required for effective communication....

The sciences tell us that fears are physical feelings and mental emotions that play a key role in any society. Not many issues related to fear are explored by economists today. The aim of this paper is to go backwards through the history of economic thought, and examine if and how Adam Smith...

Western governments usually are sent about 30% of GDP for social purposes. Financing is carried out due to tax payments through the system of taxes from current revenue (hereinafter - PAYGO, pay-as-you-go). How effective such transfers, and whether the market or other mechanisms to improve this...

This paper extends the notion of the rational agent in economics by acknowledging the role of the unconscious in the agent�s decision-making process. It argues that the unconscious can be modelled by a rational agent with his own objective function and set of information. The combination of...

Taxation policy is driven by many factors, including public opinion, but little research has examined the strength and stability of the public's taxation preferences. This paper demonstrates one way in which preferences for progressiveness depend on the framing of the question asked....