New Economics Papers
on Neuroeconomics
Issue of 2014‒04‒05
four papers chosen by



  1. Cognitive Development and Infectious Disease: Gender Difference in Investments and Outcomes By Sonia R Bhalotra; Atheendar S Venkataramani
  2. Identities and Ideals: Psychoanalytic Dialogues of Self and Leadership By Gazi Islam
  3. Institutions as game theory outcomes: toward a cognitive-experimental inquiry By Ambrosino, Angela
  4. Imitation under stress By Buckert, Magdalena; Oechssler, Jörg; Schwieren, Christiane

  1. By: Sonia R Bhalotra; Atheendar S Venkataramani
    Abstract: We exploit exogenous variation in the risk of waterborne disease created by implementation of a major water reform in Mexico in 1991 to investigate impacts of infant exposure on indicators of cognitive development and academic achievement in late childhood. We estimate that a one standard deviation reduction in childhood diarrhea mortality rates results in about a 0.1 standard deviation increase in test scores, but only for girls. We show that a reason for the gender differentiated impacts is that the water reform induces parents to make complementary investments in education that favor girls, consistent with their comparative advantage in skilled occupations. The results provide novel evidence of the potential for clean water provision to narrow test score gaps across countries and, within countries, across gender.
    Date: 2013–12–11
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esx:essedp:745&r=neu
  2. By: Gazi Islam (MC - Management et Comportement - Grenoble École de Management (GEM))
    Abstract: The author contextualizes recent developments in socio-cognitive approaches to leadership by drawing on psychoanalytic conceptions of self-identity. It is argued that psychoanalytic views of the self are complementary to contemporary social-cognitive approaches, although historical divergences in these literatures have impeded mutual dialogue. This initiative at dialogue examines charismatic, schema, and self- identity theories of leadership within a psychoanalytic framework, arguing that when self-identity is viewed broadly, convergences between these approaches become apparent. A broad view of the self makes notions of authority central to the construction of personal identities, underscores the ambivalence and relationality of self-processes, and highlights the normative assumptions underlying followership that may be difficult to theorize with contemporary socio-cognitive approaches.
    Keywords: Identity; charisma; leadership; self-concept
    Date: 2014
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:gemwpa:hal-00963539&r=neu
  3. By: Ambrosino, Angela
    Abstract: The paper investigates two different approaches to the analysis of institutions using game theory and discusses their methodological and theoretical implications for further research. Starting from von Neumann and Morgenstern’s theory, we investigate how game theory has been applied to the analysis of institutions, these being considered, as in Hayek (1967, 1988a) as the unplanned outcomes of self-interested individual behavior. We focus on Schotter’s (1981) and Schelling’s (1960) alternative approaches. The different ways in which these authors use von Neumann and Morgenstern’s concepts of coalition and indeterminacy of solutions play an important role in explaining the spontaneous emergence of institutions from interaction. We argue that this issue is also of importance in explaining how Schotter and Schelling’s theories fit with the main features of Hayek's theory of institutions.
    Keywords: Institutions, Game Theory, Cognition, Hayek, Schotter, Schelling
    JEL: B40 B31 B52 B20
    Date: 2009
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:42752&r=neu
  4. By: Buckert, Magdalena; Oechssler, Jörg; Schwieren, Christiane
    Abstract: Imitating the best strategy from the previous period has been shown to be an important heuristic, in particular in relatively complex environments. In this experiment we test whether subjects are more likely to use imitation if they are under stress. Subjects play a repeated Cournot oligopoly. Treatments are time pressure within the task and distractions through a second task (a Stroop-task) that has to be performed as well and influences payment. We measure stress levels through salivary cortisol measurements and through measuring the heart rate. Our main findings are that time pressure and distraction can indeed raise physiological stress levels of subjects within our task. More importantly from an economic perspective, we can also observe a corresponding behavioral change that is indicative of imitation.
    Keywords: stress; cortisol; heart rate; imitation; experiment.
    Date: 2014–03–21
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:awi:wpaper:0556&r=neu

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