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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Gorny, Paul M.; Schäfer, Louis |
| Abstract: | We study human-robot collaboration in a controlled experiment run in a realistic production environment. Participants completed a sequential task in pairs, where one worker (Worker 1) decided whether to pass intermediate components to a coworker or not. Depending on the treatment, the coworker was either another human participant or a physical industrial robot. The coworker-setup was either static or adaptive, with adaptive coworkers' productivity being influenced by Worker 1's performance in the task. We find strong evidence of robot aversion: workers were significantly less likely to pass intermediate products to their coworkers in the robotic as compared to the human treatments. This was despite overall productivity was identical across treatments. In a subsequent responsibility attribution task, participants also attributed greater responsibility to the robots, indicating a systematic bias in social evaluation of machine coworkers. Adaptivity only marginally affected these outcomes. Our results demonstrate that cooperation and responsibility attribution in hybrid teams depend not only on performance but also on social perceptions of artificial agents, highlighting behavioural frictions that may constrain the effective integration of robots into human work environments. |
| Keywords: | Human-robot collaboration, Responsibility attribution, Robot aversion, Adaptivity, Automation, Experimental methodology |
| JEL: | C91 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2025–10–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:126663 |
| By: | Tobias R. Rebholz; Maxwell Uphoff; Christian H. R. Bernges; Florian Scholten |
| Abstract: | As algorithms increasingly mediate competitive decision-making, their influence extends beyond individual outcomes to shaping strategic market dynamics. In two preregistered experiments, we examined how algorithmic advice affects human behavior in classic economic games with unique, non-collusive, and analytically traceable equilibria. In Experiment 1 (N = 107), participants played a Bertrand price competition with individualized or collective algorithmic recommendations. Initially, collusively upward-biased advice increased prices, particularly when individualized, but prices gradually converged toward equilibrium over the course of the experiment. However, participants avoided setting prices above the algorithm's recommendation throughout the experiment, suggesting that advice served as a soft upper bound for acceptable prices. In Experiment 2 (N = 129), participants played a Cournot quantity competition with equilibrium-aligned or strategically biased algorithmic recommendations. Here, individualized equilibrium advice supported stable convergence, whereas collusively downward-biased advice led to sustained underproduction and supracompetitive profits - hallmarks of tacit collusion. In both experiments, participants responded more strongly and consistently to individualized advice than collective advice, potentially due to greater perceived ownership of the former. These findings demonstrate that algorithmic advice can function as a strategic signal, shaping coordination even without explicit communication. The results echo real-world concerns about algorithmic collusion and underscore the need for careful design and oversight of algorithmic decision-support systems in competitive environments. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.09454 |
| By: | Sebastian Riedmiller; Matthias Sutter; Sebastian Tonke |
| Abstract: | Most interventions fail to change behavior. We argue that the reason for this failure is that the interventions do not adequately address the type of the underlying problem. We develop a systematic, parsimonious, and generalizable framework that uses a simple survey tool (anamnesis) to identify three types of fundamental problems: awareness, intention, and implementation problems. We then test in an online experiment with 7, 500 subjects whether our framework can predict the effectiveness of three typical interventions (reminders, incentives, simplifications) that are designed to address a specific fundamental problem. As hypothesized, we find that the interventions’ effectiveness varies substantially between the different settings, but that our framework can predict this heterogeneity remarkably well: On average, a predicted effectiveness of 10% corresponds to an actual effectiveness of 8.92%. Choosing an intervention based on our framework increases an intervention’s effect size by around 58% compared to randomly choosing one of the tested interventions. We also apply our framework to predict the findings of a large-scale megastudy about booster vaccinations, providing evidence for its external validity for designing effective interventions. |
| Keywords: | intervention design, heterogeneous treatment effects, context dependency, experiment |
| JEL: | C93 D01 D61 D90 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12279 |
| By: | Steffen Henzel; Christian Holzner |
| Abstract: | We conduct a field experiment to analyze whether online exercise solution videos are a valuable substitute for a detailed explanation in class. Using a Difference-in-Difference identification strategy with student time-fixed effects, we find that videos on-demand reduce students' performance significantly. Splitting our sample along class attendance shows that the results are driven by those students, who attended class. Given our detailed data on students' learning and repetition behavior we can show that only one out of four students in the treatment group watched the videos while four out of five students in the control group attended the respective class. Although we observe the typical procrastination behavior among students as the exam approaches we find no evidence that procrastination in the experiment questions compared with all other exercise questions is higher for students in the treatment group compared to the control group. |
| Keywords: | hybird or blended learning, online videos, traditional face-to-face teaching, students' learning and repetition behavior |
| JEL: | A23 H52 H75 I23 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12269 |
| By: | C Mollier (EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); A García-Gallego (Universitat Jaume I = Jaume I University); T Jaber-Lopez (CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas [España] = Spanish National Research Council [Spain]); S Zaccagni (Department of Economics and Business Economics [Aarhus] - Aarhus University [Aarhus]) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how competition outcomes and the opponent's gender affect the decision to compete again, using a lab experiment. Our experimental design adopts the strategy method to measure individuals' reactions to winning or losing. Subjects indicate their willingness to compete again based on performance gaps with their opponents. Furthermore, gender is inferred from participant-selected-names, allowing us to explore the role of the opponent's gender. Against our main hypothesis, after winning against a female opponent men exhibit a decrease in their willingness to compete again. The primary mechanism underlying men's behavior appears to be the presence of inaccurate beliefs—specifically, expecting to win but ultimately losing. Our main finding is that men with inaccurate beliefs, when competing against women, are significantly more likely to re-enter the competition and to outperform their female opponents in subsequent rounds. |
| Keywords: | Lab experiment, Career decision, Feedback, Gender, Competitiveness |
| Date: | 2025–11–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05358737 |
| By: | Maja Adena; Eleonora Alabrese; Francesco Capozza; Isabelle Leader |
| Abstract: | We test whether AI-generated news images affect outlet demand and trust. In a pre-registered experiment with 2, 870 UK adults, the same article was paired with a wire-service photo (with/without credit) or a matched AI image (with/without label). Average newsletter demand changes little. Ex-post photo origin recollection is poor, and many believe even the real photo is synthetic. Beliefs drive behavior: thinking the image is AI cuts demand and perceived outlet quality by about 10 p.p., even when the photo is authentic; believing it is real has the opposite effect. Labels modestly reduce penalties but do little to correct mistaken attributions. |
| Keywords: | AI, demand for news, trust, online experiment |
| JEL: | C81 C93 D83 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12277 |
| By: | Takeshi Ojima; Shinsuke Ikeda |
| Abstract: | If dishonest behavior stems from a self-control problem, then offering the option to commit to honestywill reduce dishonesty, provided that it lowers the self-control costs of being honest. To test thistheoretical prediction, we conducted an incentivized online experiment in which participants couldcheat at a game of rock-paper-scissors. Treatment groups were randomly or invariably offered a hardHonesty-Commitment Option (HCO), which could be used to prevent cheating. Our between- andwithin-subject analyses reveal that the HCO provision significantly reduced cheating rates byapproximately 64%. Evidence suggests that the commitment device works by lowering self-controlcosts, which is more pronounced in individuals with low cognitive reflection, rather than by anobserver effect. Further analyses reveal two key dynamics. First, an individual’s frequency of not usingthe HCO reliably predicts their propensity to cheat when the option is unavailable. Second, repeatedlydeciding not to use the commitment device can become habitual, diminishing the HCO provision’seffect in reducing cheating over time. This research highlights the effectiveness of honesty-commitment devices in policy design while also noting that their disuse can become habitual, pointingto a new dynamic in the study of cheating. |
| Date: | 2025–10–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:toh:tupdaa:76 |
| By: | Adena, Maja (WZB Berlin); Alabrese, Eleonora (University of Bath); Capozza, Francesco (University of Barcelona); Leader, Isabelle (University of Bath) |
| Abstract: | We test whether AI-generated news images affect outlet demand and trust. In a pre-registered experiment with 2, 870 UK adults, the same article was paired with a wire-service photo (with/without credit) or a matched AI image (with/without label). Average newsletter demand changes little. Ex-post photo origin recollection is poor, and many believe even the real photo is synthetic. Beliefs drive behavior: thinking the image is AI cuts demand and perceived outlet quality by about 10 p.p., even when the photo is authentic; believing it is real has the opposite effect. Labels modestly reduce penalties but do little to correct mistaken attributions. |
| Keywords: | AI, Demand for News, Trust, Online Experiment JEL Classification: C81, C93, D83 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:782 |
| By: | Pascal Nieder; Sven Arne Simon |
| Abstract: | Compliance with complex regulatory requirements can be challenging. We study why and how complexity affects non-compliance in terms of incorrect reporting. Our novelexperimental design isolates two distinct complexity effects: an increase in honest mistakes and a substantial shift toward self-serving dishonesty. We identify two mechanisms for this dishonesty shift. First, individuals with social image concerns systematically take advantage of plausible deniability. Second, we document an unexplored form of dishonesty: besides conscious lies, individuals use fraudulent shortcuts in response to complex cheating opportunities. |
| Keywords: | Dishonest behavior, Complexity, Lying, Non-Compliance, Experiment |
| JEL: | C91 D83 D91 H26 K42 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpi:wpaper:tax-mpg-rps-2024-17 |
| By: | Alejandra Villegas (Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de Mexico) |
| Abstract: | This study examines how gender norms are enforced through social sanctions using an online experiment in the Sierra Nororiental of Puebla, Mexico. Combining norm elicitation tasks and a dictator game, it analyzes how participants react to norm compliance and deviation in the division of unpaid domestic labor. Results indicate that sanctioning behavior varies by the gender of both the evaluator and the norm violator, revealing a hierarchical and gendered enforcement structure. The study also identified a discrepancy between self-declared attitudes and behavioral responses: although many participants claimed to support gender equality, they penalized behaviors aligned with that position when those behaviors were perceived as norm violations. These insights have implications for policy interventions aimed at promoting gender equality, suggesting that effective change requires shifting the social expectations and sanctioning logics that underpin persistent inequalities.der board diversity is associated with a 0.75 percentage point rise in the labor share. The effect is stronger in services, in smaller firms, and among firms with persistently low productivity. A counterfactual analysis demonstrates a high semi-elasticity of employment as the driving mechanism behind these findings. |
| Keywords: | gender norms, social expectations, punishment, experimental economics, unpaid care and domestic work |
| JEL: | C91 J16 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fme:wpaper:110 |
| By: | Alberto Abadie; Mehrdad Ghadiri; Ali Jadbabaie; Mahyar JafariNodeh |
| Abstract: | This article introduces a leave-one-out regression adjustment estimator (LOORA) for estimating average treatment effects in randomized controlled trials. The method removes the finite-sample bias of conventional regression adjustment and provides exact variance expressions for LOORA versions of the Horvitz-Thompson and difference-in-means estimators under simple and complete random assignment. Ridge regularization limits the influence of high-leverage observations, improving stability and precision in small samples. In large samples, LOORA attains the asymptotic efficiency of regression-adjusted estimator as characterized by Lin (2013, Annals of Applied Statistics), while remaining exactly unbiased. To construct confidence intervals, we rely on asymptotic variance estimates that treat the estimator as a two-step procedure, accounting for both the regression adjustment and the random assignment stages. Two within-subject experimental applications that provide realistic joint distributions of potential outcomes as ground truth show that LOORA eliminates substantial biases and achieves close-to-nominal confidence interval coverage. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.03236 |
| By: | Lima de Miranda, Katharina; Detlefsen, Lena; Schmidt, Ulrich |
| Abstract: | Our study contributes to the literature on choice shifts in group decision-making by analyzing how the level of risk-taking within a group is influenced by its gender composition. In particular, we investigate experimentally whether group composition affects how preferences ‘shift’ when comparing individual and group choices. Consistent with hypotheses derived from previous literature, we show that male-dominated groups shift toward riskier decisions in a way that is not explained by any simple preference aggregation mechanism. We discuss potential channels for the observed pattern of choice shifts. |
| Keywords: | Experiment, gender group, decisions, risk-taking, risky shift |
| JEL: | D71 D81 D91 J16 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:330837 |
| By: | Antoinette Baujard (Université Jean Monnet, Université Lyon 2, emlyon, GATE, CNRS, 42100, Saint-Etienne, France); Roberto Brunetti (Université Paris Panthéon-Assas, LEMMA); Isabelle Lebon (Normandie Univ., CREM, UMR CNRS 6211, Caen, France and TEPP-CNRS, Caen, France); Simone Marsilio (Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany) |
| Abstract: | If individuals are to be empowered in their selection or use of a voting rule, it is necessary that they understand it. This paper analyzes people’s understanding of two voting rules: evaluative voting and majority judgment. We first distinguish three components of understanding in this context: how to fill in the ballot; how votes are aggregated; and how to vote strategically. To measure each component, we draw on results from a lab experiment on incentivized voting where participants are exogenously assigned single-peaked preferences and answer comprehension questions on the rules employed. We find that most participants understand how to fill in the ballot with both voting rules. However, participants’ understanding of vote aggregation under majority judgment is lower and, crucially, more heterogeneous. While some participants correctly understand its aggregation property, a sizable group fails to grasp it. We also observe no difference in voting behavior between evaluative voting and majority judgment: the data confirm the theoretical prediction that under evaluative voting there will be a high incidence of strategic voting through the use of extreme grades, but contradict the prediction that under majority judgment voters will vote less strategically. Finally, we find that with majority judgment, the better voters understand how votes are aggregated, the more they vote strategically, hence resulting in inequality in voter agency. |
| Keywords: | voting rules; understanding; evaluative voting; majority judgment; agency; laboratory experiment |
| JEL: | A13 C92 D71 D72 O35 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gat:wpaper:2524 |
| By: | Ding, Yihong; Robinson, Elizabeth; Balcombe, Kelvin |
| Abstract: | This paper extends the existing individual decision-making framework of adapting to climate change by considering the effects of prior personal experience in shaping risk preferences. Conducting Prospect Theory-based “lab-in-field” risk experiments in rural areas of Xinjiang Province, we elicit Chinese farmers' risk curvature and probability bias by adopting more flexible Prelec's two-parameter probability functions. Using Bayesian approaches to estimation, we find that farmers' prior experiences not only provide information that influences the subjective distributions of future outcomes but also, by shaping farmers' personal risk preferences, affects how farmers absorb and update this information. As such, our research suggests that individual risk preferences can evolve, and the effects of personal experience on preferences exhibit distinct patterns depending on whether farmers face benefits or losses. Experiencing production damages tends to make farmers more averse to losses and increases their optimistic bias concerning personal loss risks. A policy implication of these findings is that it is crucial to reduce farmers' cognitive biases regarding their own climate-related losses and their over-reliance on personal experiences in order to make accurate risk management decisions. |
| Keywords: | decision-making framework; climate change; experience; Bayesian approach; risk preference |
| JEL: | C1 |
| Date: | 2025–12–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130030 |
| By: | Jeremy Bowles; Horacio Larreguy; Shelley Liu; Ahmet Akbiyik |
| Abstract: | Political polarization is an increasing global concern. Although recent research suggests that media exposure can mitigate polarization through persuasion, it is unclear whether polarized individuals are willing to engage with diverse news sources, especially in electoral autocracies where citizens may distrust state-aligned media outlets or lack familiarity with credible alternatives. We implemented a field experiment in Türkiye exposing citizens to cross-partisan online media sources over seven months, which increased participants’ consumption of assigned outlets across the board. We find evidence of ideological moderation with important asymmetries. While assignment to pro-government media durably bolstered appraisals of the ruling party and increased vote intentions, assignment to anti-government media, while increasing affinity for opposition parties, had narrower and shorter-lasting impacts. Distinct logics explain these differences: while participants came to trust and learn more about anti-government outlets, the broader and more diverse coverage of pro-government outlets appears responsible for their persuasive impacts. Our findings highlight both the potential and limits of media exposure to shift political views in polarized electoral autocracies. |
| Keywords: | polarization, cross-partisan media, electoral autocracy |
| JEL: | C93 D72 D83 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12260 |
| By: | Carmen Sainz Villalba |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the information provision and belief updating on the preference for regulation on pensions for own respondents and the preference for regulation on pensions for the population as a whole. Following the work of Sainz Villalba and Konrad (2024), we conduct a survey experiment where we provide information on own characteristics and on characteristics about individuals in other income brackets. We find that respondents who overestimate the pension coverage for low income earners are more likely to want less regulation for themselves and for the population as a whole. However, the overall effect of the information provision is very low. Like previous papers, we find that the respondents who are more knowledgeable about pensions want less regulation for themselves, but want more regulation for the population as a whole, on average, when given information about their own characteristics and others’ characteristics. |
| Keywords: | Pensions, Knowledge, Beliefs, Government Regulation, Decision-making |
| JEL: | D78 D03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpi:wpaper:tax-mpg-rps-2024-13 |
| By: | Abay, Kibrom A.; Abdelfattah, Lina Alaaeldin; Abushama, Hala; Kirui, Oliver K.; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Siddig, Khalid |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the impact of digital transfers on the well-being of households grappling with active conflict in Sudan. Considering the case of Sudan, where active conflict and funding gaps continue to hamper the delivery of humanitarian services, we aim to address the following questions: (i) Can digital cash transfers improve food and nutrition security outcomes of beneficiaries in conflict-affected settings?; (ii) Can digital transfers to an other-wise inaccessible population improve subjective well-being, mental health, and stress in the face of recurrent conflicts?; and (iii) Who benefits more from digital transfers, and do the impacts of digital transfers vary depending on the size of transfers or socioeconomic characteristics of households? To address these questions, we design a randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving digital transfers of different sizes to randomly selected urban households in Sudan. Digital transfers reached nearly all targeted beneficiaries, with about a quarter of households receiving them through their friends and relatives and hence incurring some transaction fees. Overall, digital transfers mitigated deterioration in food insecurity (by 7-8 percentage points) and improved subjective well-being and mental health. Interestingly, we find that the digital transfers are more beneficial (impactful) for those grappling with active conflict. Digital transfers also appear to be less effective for poorer households and households of a larger size. These findings highlight the potential of digital transfers to support those grappling with armed conflict. |
| Keywords: | conflicts; social protection; cash transfers; mobile phones; electronic commerce; Sudan |
| Date: | 2025–11–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:177655 |
| By: | Catherine C. Eckel (Texas A&M University); Lata Gangadharan (Monash University); Philip J. Grossman (Monash University); Miranda Lambert (Texas A&M University); Nina Xue (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business,) |
| Abstract: | Motivated by the stereotype that women are more cooperative and less competitive, we investigate how the institutional environment impacts the gender leadership gap. An experiment tests leaders’ impact on earnings under competitive (“winner take all”) versus cooperative (equal earnings distribution) incentive schemes. All leaders enhance efficiency similarly, but a gender gap emerges in the competitive context where women receive lower evaluations for identical advice. This bias disappears in the cooperative context where female leaders are evaluated 50% higher, suggesting that congruence between the environment and gender stereotypes has important policy implications. Men are more willing to lead, regardless of context. |
| Keywords: | gender, leadership, institutio |
| JEL: | C92 D91 J16 J71 M14 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mos:moswps:2025-17 |
| By: | Georgarakos, Dimitris; Jappelli, Tullio; Kenny, Geoff; Pistaferri, Luigi |
| Abstract: | Using a large survey of euro area consumers, we conduct an experiment in which respondents report how they would adjust their labor market participation, hours worked, and job search effort (if not employed) in response to randomly assigned windfall gain scenarios. Windfall gains reduce labor supply, but only when the gains are substantial. At the extensive margin, gains of €25, 000 or less have no effects, while gains between €50, 000 and €100, 000 reduce the probability of working by 1.5 to 3.5 percentage points. At the intensive margin, small gains produce no impact, while gains above €50, 000 lead to a reduction of approximately one hour of work per week. The effects among women and workers near retirement are stronger. The share of non-employed respondents who stop or reduce job search intensity declines by 1 percentage point for each €10, 000 in windfall gain, with the strongest effects observed among older individuals receiving €100, 000. JEL Classification: E24, D10, J22, J68 |
| Keywords: | consumer expectations survey, job search, labor supply, survey experiment, wealth shocks |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20253154 |
| By: | Clot, Sophie; Drupp, Moritz; Hanley, Nick; Kuhfuss, Laure; Raharison, Emile |
| Abstract: | Recent evidence has shown that, in the context of participation decisions in Payment for Ecosystem Service schemes, land managers’ choices are determined by a wider set of factors than the literature has traditionally focused on and could, furthermore, be influenced by cognitive biases (Clot et al 2014; 2015, 2017a). This wider set includes the extent to which people care about their neighbour’s wellbeing, or the behaviour of “relevant others” (Kuhfuss et al., 2016); and farmers’ concerns for environmental outcomes (Kuhfuss et al., 2022). Assessing this complex set of preferences is difficult (Clot et al. 2017 b). In this paper, we present a method for estimating time, risk, social and environmental preferences simultaneously using incentivized choice experiments. This approach builds on work by Ida and Goto (2009). We test our new method in the lab, comparing our results with “standard” survey questions. This exercise is repeated in two time periods where the relative income of student participants varies – before and after they receive annual stipend payments – to capture changes in relative poverty. We show that our new method produces results that are consistent with standard survey-based questions at the aggregated level for risk preferences. Moreover, we find robust evidence that individuals are less risk averse when relatively wealthier. |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness, Food Security and Poverty |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aes025:356742 |
| By: | Helmut Elsinger; Helmut Stix; Martin Summer |
| Abstract: | This paper examines consumers' intended adoption of a digital euro in Austria using a discrete choice experiment. We estimate a mixed logit model to quantify the role of key attributes such as privacy, offline functionality, security against financial loss, monetary incentives, and payment form factors. Our findings indicate that security and financial incentives are the strongest drivers of adoption, while respondents do not report strong preferences among the privacy options that are laid out in the experiment. We identify significant heterogeneity in adoption likelihood across socio-demographic groups. Simulations suggest that under realistic design assumptions, approximately 45% of individuals are found to have an intention to adopt a digital euro. |
| Keywords: | central bank digital currency (CBDC), consumer adoption, discrete choice experiment, payment preferences |
| JEL: | E42 D12 G21 C35 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bis:biswps:1302 |
| By: | Jose, Anu (Central Bank of Ireland); Kelly, Jane (Central Bank of Ireland); King, Michael (Trinity College Dublin); McCarthy, Yvonne (Trinity College Dublin) |
| Abstract: | We study the behavioural effects of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), a rapidly expanding form of consumer credit. Through an experiment conducted with a nationally representative sample in Ireland, we find that participants spend, on average, 4.39% more when using BNPL for purchases compared to debit cards. We demonstrate mental accounting effects where an inflated perception of available funds due to prior BNPL usage leads to a 22.2% higher likelihood of spending on a discretionary product. In parallel, we show the importance of anticipatory effects of such a credit innovation, whereby the mere expectation of future access to BNPL increases current debit card spending by 3.1%. While salient risk disclosures improve understanding of BNPL risks, they do not significantly affect usage or spending patterns. These findings highlight the dual psychological impact of BNPL on spending, support the rationale for consumer protection efforts, and establish the relevance of BNPL as a financial product of interest to macroeconomic policymakers. |
| Keywords: | Mental Accounting, Consumer Credit, Behavioural Finance, Deferred Payments. |
| JEL: | G4 G51 G41 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cbi:wpaper:15/rt/25 |
| By: | Rustam Romaniuc (Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School); Odile Séré de Lanauze (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier, BIT - Behavioral Insights Team France); Lisette Ibanez (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier); Sébastien Roussel (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier) |
| Abstract: | This paper contributes to the literature studying the effect of green nudges on the behavior of young people, particularly adolescents. We conducted a field experiment involving high school students to assess the effectiveness of a nudging strategy which aimed at motivating them to power off computers when these are not used in the classroom. Our nudging strategy resulted in a significant reduction in computer power in the treated high school compared to a control high school. We discuss the relevance of our work for research on young people's pro-environmental behavior as well as the implications in terms of policy-making. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05363638 |
| By: | Mzek, Tareq; Piras, Simone; Dinnie, Liz |
| Abstract: | Vertical farming (VF) offers a potential solution to enhance food security, support rural econ-omies, and advance sustainable agriculture by minimising water usage, reducing the need for land, and increasing crop yields. However, its adoption potential depends on consumer ac-ceptance and demand. This study explores consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for vertical farming produce through a choice experiment focused on bowls of ready-to-eat salad leaves. We focus on the case study of Scotland, a country whose pedoclimatic conditions limit on-field production of fresh vegetables. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 800 Scottish consumers stratified by age and gender. Participants were assigned to one of four treatment groups. Each group received different information about VF, emphasising re-spectively environmental benefits, localness and local development, or energy concerns, in ad-dition to a baseline with no additional information. We find very limited prior knowledge of VF, increasing the salience of our treatments. We detect no significant difference in preferences between VF and on-field production per se, neither in the baseline, nor under the different treatments, but relative preference for products providing this information. Taste consistency, freshness (residual shelf life), and local origin, all enhanced by VF production, were important drivers of consumers’ choices. In the absence of vegetables grown on-field in the UK, national VF products were still preferred to imported ones. These findings can inform policymakers, producers, and retailers about strategies to enhance consumer acceptance and market potential for VF production. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aes025:356799 |
| By: | Adam Bouyamourn |
| Abstract: | How should researchers select experimental sites when the deployment population differs from observed data? I formulate the problem of experimental site selection as an optimal transport problem, developing methods to minimize downstream estimation error by choosing sites that minimize the Wasserstein distance between population and sample covariate distributions. I develop new theoretical upper bounds on PATE and CATE estimation errors, and show that these different objectives lead to different site selection strategies. I extend this approach by using Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Optimization to develop a site selection procedure robust to adversarial perturbations of covariate information: a specific model of distribution shift. I also propose a novel data-driven procedure for selecting the uncertainty radius the Wasserstein DRO problem, which allows the user to benchmark robustness levels against observed variation in their data. Simulation evidence, and a reanalysis of a randomized microcredit experiment in Morocco (Cr\'epon et al.), show that these methods outperform random and stratified sampling of sites when covariates have prognostic R-squared > .5, and alternative optimization methods i) for moderate-to-large size problem instances ii) when covariates are moderately informative about treatment effects, and iii) under induced distribution shift. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.04658 |
| By: | Massfeller, Anna; Hermann, Daniel; Leyens, Alexa; Storm, Hugo |
| Abstract: | Novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision support tools (DSTs) promise to make pesticide application more efficient. However, the adoption of existing, non-AI, DST by farmers is low, and farmers seem to prefer recommendations from human advisors. Additionally, for medical applications, there is evidence of users’ reluctance against (potentially superior) AI-based recommendations - a phenomenon known as Algorithm Aversion. This study is the first to investigate Algorithm Aversion in the farming context specifically with respect to farmers' intention to use an AI-DST for wheat fungicide application. We conducted a preregistered online survey with a representative sample of German farmers in autumn 2024. The analysis is based on a novel Bayesian probabilistic programming workflow for experimental studies. The approach allows jointly analysing an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with a willingness-to-pay-experiment. We find that Algorithm Aversion plays an important role in farmers’ decision-making. Our results emphasize the importance of user-friendly tech design, inform extension services on resource allocation, and stress the need for policy to support AI-DST adoption. This is the first study quantifying Algorithm Aversion in farmers’ decision-making. It forms the foundation for future research on the underlying causes of Algorithm Aversion. Additionally, we show how probabilistic programming can improve experimental research. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/Statistical Methods |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aes025:356629 |
| By: | Moshe Hazan (Department of Economics, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East VIC 3145); Shay Tsur (Research Department, Bank of Israel, P.O. Box 780, Jerusalem 9100701) |
| Abstract: | We study how shifting intra-household control over resources affects fertility, exploiting a quasi-natural experiment in Israel where some Holocaust survivors began receiving substantial and unexpected reparations in 1957 and others decades later. Using a triple-difference design with heterogeneity by age, we compare fertility outcomes by timing of reparations, gender of the recipient, and age. Households where only the young female partner received reparations early had 0.25–0.4 fewer children than comparable households where only the male was treated. An event study shows that this effect is driven entirely by post-1957 fertility, suggesting a causal link to increased female resource control |
| Keywords: | Fertility Choice, Intrahouseho |
| JEL: | J13 J16 D13 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mos:moswps:2025-16 |
| By: | Jérôme Faure (CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 - ULR - La Rochelle Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, LTSER-ZAPVS - Zone Atelier Plaine et Val de Sèvre - RZA - LTSER Réseau des Zones Ateliers - INEE-CNRS - Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Sabrina Gaba (CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 - ULR - La Rochelle Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, LTSER-ZAPVS - Zone Atelier Plaine et Val de Sèvre - RZA - LTSER Réseau des Zones Ateliers - INEE-CNRS - Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Jean-Luc Gautier (CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 - ULR - La Rochelle Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, LTSER-ZAPVS - Zone Atelier Plaine et Val de Sèvre - RZA - LTSER Réseau des Zones Ateliers - INEE-CNRS - Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Antonin Leluc (CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 - ULR - La Rochelle Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Vincent Bretagnolle (CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 - ULR - La Rochelle Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Reducing agricultural inputs is necessary for sustainable farming, but raises concerns over yields and farmers' income. Here, we used large-scale experimental trials on cereal fields in western France for the period 2022-2023 to assess the effects of input reductions on yields and gross margins under real farming conditions. The trials, co-designed with farmers, involved substantial nitrogen and pesticide reductions in conventional fields, and reductions in soil work or mechanical weeding in organic fields. The results showed that input reductions led to average yield gaps of about 5% in both conventional and organic systems. Cost savings compensated for economic losses and even surpassed these in many conventional field experiments. Simulated price scenarios confirmed the economic viability of input reductions, with heightened advantages during price crises driven by energy or inflation shocks. These findings demonstrate that input-reduction strategies can align environmental and economic goals in real farming conditions, challenging concerns about profitability while supporting the ambitious sustainability targets of policies. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05364219 |
| By: | Sébastien Levionnois (ECOSYS - Ecologie fonctionnelle et écotoxicologie des agroécosystèmes - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, UMR AGAP - Amélioration génétique et adaptation des plantes méditerranéennes et tropicales - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier); Noémie Gaudio (AGIR - AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires - EI Purpan - Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse); Rémi Mahmoud (AGIR - AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires - EI Purpan - Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse); Christophe Pradal (UMR AGAP - Amélioration génétique et adaptation des plantes méditerranéennes et tropicales - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier, Cirad-BIOS - Département Systèmes Biologiques - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, LIRMM - Laboratoire d'Informatique de Robotique et de Microélectronique de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UM - Université de Montpellier); Corinne Robert (ECOSYS - Ecologie fonctionnelle et écotoxicologie des agroécosystèmes - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Highlights: • Simulated intercropping decrease disease intensity and improve protectiveness while canopy indicators predict such effects. • Pea intercropped with wheat decreased disease intensity compared with faba bean. • Nitrogen fertilization increased disease intensity. • This study stressed the critical lack of experimental data on disease in intercropping. Abstract: Context : Intercropping is a promising strategy for integrated disease management and agroecological transition, although experimental and modelling studies are scarce. Objectives: This study aims to understand and quantify the impact of non-host species choice and nitrogen (N) fertilization on disease epidemics in the context of intercropping. Methods: We collected existing experimental data on LAI based on a literature survey of non-diseased wheat intercropped with different non-host legume species (pea and faba bean) and N fertilization treatments. Based on a foliar epidemic model for intercropping, we simulated epidemics directly on these experimental data of LAI. The model is parameterized for two wheat fungal diseases: Septoria tritici blotch, a rain-borne disease, and wheat leaf rust, an air-borne disease. Results: Our results indicate that intercropping can decrease disease intensity and improve protectiveness for both diseases. Effect depends however on species choice as pea intercropped with wheat leads to lower disease intensity and better intercropping protectiveness compared with faba bean, whereas N fertilization increased disease intensity. We also found that crop indicators describing wheat leaf area index (LAI) can predict disease intensity, whereas indicators describing companion LAI can better predict intercropping protectiveness. Conclusions: Intercropping can significantly reduce fungal epidemics on wheat, and intercropping management practices can be optimized for effective disease management in wheat-legume intercrops. The dilution effect is more related to disease intensity, while the barrier effect is more related to intercropping protectiveness. Implications: These findings pave the way for identifying field indicators to predict epidemics. However, this study also stressed the critical lack of experimental data on disease in intercropping. |
| Keywords: | Septoria tritici blotch, Wheat leaf rust, Intercropping, Crop mixture |
| Date: | 2026–02–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05328274 |
| By: | König, Pascal; Weißmüller, Kristina Sabrina (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | What factors lie behind bureaucrats’ readiness to delegate client interactions that commonly involve human empathy to artificial intelligence (AI) systems? Such delegation entails a crucial trade-off as it may reduce workload but simultaneously introduces inauthentic empathic engagement in citizen-state relations, which may undermine the moral integrity of public administration (PA). Drawing on bureaucratic legitimacy theory, this study tests the impact of efficiency gains, AI features, and organizational norms on civil servants’ willingness to delegate citizen engagement to AI. Findings from a pre-registered discrete choice experiment conducted with 300 active German civil servants (Obs.=3, 000) show that while efficiency gains and norms do have some impact, utilitarian considerations concerning AI’s ability to serve clients well are clearly the most important motivator. The findings show that the acceptability of delegating empathic engagement with citizens to AI can be tied to key dimensions of bureaucratic legitimacy, and provide novel evidence that the delegation of counselling to AI in PA is more strongly linked with public service motivation rather than self-serving efficiency gains. These insights advance theory and inform responsible and client-centered use of AI in public bureaucracies. |
| Date: | 2025–11–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:v9nj3_v1 |
| By: | Clara Koetz (Rennes SB - Rennes School of Business); Sarah Hudson (Rennes SB - Rennes School of Business) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effect of formal (e.g., codes of conduct [COC] and punishment) and informal (e.g., peer behavior) ethical systems on employees' unethical intentions. Previous studies disagree about the effectiveness of COC and punishment policies on individuals' unethical intentions. Moreover, there is not much research regarding the interactive effects of formal and informal norms in organizations on unethical behavior and how employees decide when there is incongruence between formal and informal ethical systems. To investigate this, we propose the following research question: What is the effect of distinct formal (implicit and explicit COC and strong and weak punishment policies) and informal (peers' ethical and unethical behaviors) ethical systems on individuals' unethical decisions? The results of an exploratory qualitative study (N = 275) and an experimental study (N = 374) demonstrate that (1) peer behavior has the strongest effect on individuals' unethical intentions; (2) punishment and clear COC combined are effective in reducing unethical intentions when peers behave unethically; however, in these contexts, rules are ineffective when not supported by punishment policies, and punishment can be counterproductive when rules are implicit or nonexistent. Our study contributes to the literature on ethical decision-making by showing how combinations of formal and informal ethical systems influence unethical intentions. It also offers valuable recommendations to managers on reducing unethical behavior in companies. |
| Keywords: | Formal and informal ethical systems, Formal and informal ethical systems Social norms Ethical decision making Punishment, Punishment, Ethical decision making, Social norms, Ethical Perceptions |
| Date: | 2025–02–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05104973 |