Psychology, Rationality and Economic Behaviour (eBook)

Economics has paid little attention to the psychology of economic behaviour, leading to somewhat simplistic assumptions about human nature. The psychological aspects have typically been reduced to standard utility theory, based on a narrow conception of rationality and self-interest maximization. The contributions in this volume, some focused on analytical models and methodology, others on laboratory and field experiments, challenge these assumptions, and provide novel and complex understandings of human motivation and economic decision-making. With a pioneering introduction by the book's two editors, this volume brings together exciting contributions to a field that is rapidly growing in influence and reach.

RONALD BENABOU Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, USA FREIDEL BOLLE Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany JUAN-CAMILO CARDENAS Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia OTTARINO CHILLEMI Università di Padova, Italy FLORIAN ENGLMAIER Universität München, Germany ERNST FEHR Institut für Empirische Wirtschaftsforschung, Universität Zürich, Switzerland ALEXANDER KRITIKOS Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany JOCHEN JUNGEILGES Universität Bielefeld, Germany ODED STARK ZEF, Universität Bonn, Germany THEIS THEISEN School of Management, Agder University College, Kristiansand, Norway JEAN TIROLE Institut d'Economie Industrielle, Université de Toulouse, France JEAN-ROBERT TYRAN Institute of Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark ALEXANDER VASIN Moscow State University, Russian Federation YONG WANG City University of Hong Kong, China YOU QUIANG WANG School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

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Economics has paid little attention to the psychology of economic behaviour, leading to somewhat simplistic assumptions about human nature. The psychological aspects have typically been reduced to standard utility theory, based on a narrow conception of rationality and self-interest maximization. The contributions in this volume, some focused on analytical models and methodology, others on laboratory and field experiments, challenge these assumptions, and provide novel and complex understandings of human motivation and economic decision-making. With a pioneering introduction by the book's two editors, this volume brings together exciting contributions to a field that is rapidly growing in influence and reach.