Theories of norm-dependent utility assume commonly known injunctive norms that rank feasible outcomes by their normative valence, but as yet normative valences have only been measured experimentally. We provide a theoretical foundation that assigns a normative valence to each outcome based on...

The way we describe and evaluate ourselves or self-concept has a significant effect on our behaviors. An individual who describes herself as altruistic is more likely to engage in helpful behaviors than someone who does not possess such self-concept. Self-concept, in turn, is influenced by...

We conduct a laboratory experiment to study the impact of affirmative action on the choice to compete in a multistage elimination contest. In particular, we assess whether gender quotas imposed in the final stage increase the share of female entrants and winners already in the first round of the...

This paper introduces an emerging interdisciplinary research field, namely neuroeconomics, which uses the neuroscientific methods to investigate the neural systems supporting economically relevant behaviors. Traditional economic research is restricted to the level of describing decision...

We study the effect of time flexibility on volunteering. Using an online experiment, we tested predictions of a model of inter-temporal volunteering. Consistent with our theoretical predictions, we find that flexibility in choosing when to allocate effort donations increases overall donations...

Communication has been shown to play a positive role in promoting trust, yet there is no evidence on how sensitive this result is to the size of the gains from cooperation. To investigate this issue, we adopt an experimental design in which a trustee can send a free form message to a trustor,...