Background
All the members of the behavioural economics cluster share a methodological use of controlled experiments with the wider field of behavioural and experimental economics, but are distinctive in their interest in the social underpinnings of economic institutions, and how these forces generate economic disparities.
Our Members
Academics at Reading:
Publications
- Abraham, D., Glejtková, K., & Krčál, O. Forthcoming in 2025. The hidden costs of imposing minimum contributions to a global public good. Ecological Economics, 227, 108346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108346
- Abraham, D., Greiner, B., & Stephanides, M. (2023). On the Internet you can be anyone: An experiment on strategic avatar choice in online marketplaces. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 206, 251-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2022.11.033
- Abraham, D., Corazzini, L., Fišar, M., & Reggiani, T. (2023). Coordinating donations via an intermediary: The destructive effect of a sunk overhead cost. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 211, 287-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2023.05.006
Funded Projects
- 2023 – 2024 BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants Scheme “Upstream corrections and team performance”
Investigators: Diya Abraham; Co-Investigator: Maria Polipciuc (University of Jena)
Summary: The performance of a team depends on its members correcting one another. Members might refrain from doing so to avoid confrontation. This problem is heightened when it is up to subordinates to correct a supervisor. Subordinates might worry that their reputation will be damaged if they are wrong, that they are breaking a social norm or that they will suffer materially and/or psychologically in case of an unfavorable outcome. We conduct two controlled experiments to explore whether and how under-correction occurs in teams and study potential ways in which it might be mitigated.
Events
- The Reading Experimental and Behavioural Economics Workshop has been hosted by the cluster twice, in June 2018 (Programme) and May 2019 (Programme). Keynote speakers at these events have been Sarah Smith, Phil Grossman, Marie Claire Villeval, and Jordi Brandts. The workshop gathers a small group of behavioural economists from southeast England and beyond to present and discuss research in progress.
