Behavioral Economics Commons^™

Success In The Theme Park Industry, Tyler Crowder, Jessica Jones, Greg Lonnquist

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

We researched Disneyland Theme Park to determine what makes a theme park experience successful for consumers. This research examines positive and negative attitudes about Disneyland Theme Park in Anaheim, California.

Social Influence On Risky Choice, Kesha Patel, Michael Bixter

Student Research Symposium

Are people’s risk preferences influenced by the preferences of others they interact with or observe? Traditionally, decision preferences were conceptualized as a stable, dispositional trait. However, recent research has demonstrated that there is a degree of malleability in preferences, with social influence having a particularly potent impact. To better understand the extent of social influence on risky decision-making, a mixed-study design was carried out that involved participants making a series of hypothetical monetary choices between smaller-certain and larger-risky rewards. Participants completed three blocks of the risky-choice task: (1) the pre-exposure block where choices were made without any social information, (2) …

Perceptions Of Tourism And Quality Of Life: A Case Study In Savannah, Georgia, Marissa J. Renee

Honors College Theses

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that Travel and Tourism accounted for 10.3% of the world economy in 2019 and ¼ of all net new jobs over the past five years. Savannah, Georgia has experienced huge growth in the last decade due to tourism, with visitor spending on lodging alone increasing from $466 million in 2009 to $1 billion in 2019. The current study examined differences in perceived impact of tourism on quality of life using established predictors of tourism sentiments. An online community survey was conducted in Chatham County, Georgia (N = 94) using the Tourism Quality of …

Consumers And Eco-Labels: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Effects Of Various Sustainability Certification Models On Consumer Opinions, William F. Joseph

Senior Theses

This research consists of an econometric analysis of the efficacy of a privatized sustainability certification model versus a proposed government-endorsed sustainability certification model within the United Sates market. Today, the widely accepted model of sustainability certification is constituted by a large market of private certifiers. By analyzing the effects of the current model and alongside the effects of a hypothetical government-endorsed system on consumer preferences for sustainably produced goods, the thesis aims to motivate further discussion into the possible benefit of adopting a government-sponsored sustainability certification system. In general, analysis of the data suggests much more promising and significant effects …

Effect Of Fandom On Sports Gambling, Drake Deitch

Dissertations

The goal in this study was to investigate the relationship between fandom and betting. The hypothesis was that sports fans who gambled on their favorite teams would be more likely to make irrational decisions based more closely on emotional attachment than logical thinking. A total of 191 fans of the Chicago Bears (n = 80), Green Bay Packers (n = 57), and Minnesota Vikings (n = 54) were recruited for the study. Participants completed a survey that assessed their knowledge of and love for the three teams. Results indicated fans were far more likely to bet on their team regardless …

Forging Flourishing Futures: An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Construction Of Dreams For Internally Displaced Cameroonian Youth, Alexandra Harakas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Young people are thermometers and essential actors in the future-oriented process of national development. In Cameroon, youth are affected by constraints which can hinder these processes and aims–economic stagnancy, inequality of resources, ethnic nepotism and rampant government corruption. Additionally, thousands of youth are internally displaced (IDPs) by violent conflicts: particularly the Anglophone crisis in the South West and North West regions. This study seeks to understand young people’s experiences in this context. Through twenty interviews with IDPs in Yaoundé ages 18 to 30, the study sheds light on the following questions: How do young IDPs conceive the flourishing for themselves …

“Born For A Storm”: Hard-Right Social Media And Civil Unrest, Daniel Karell, Andrew Linke, Edward Holland, Edward Hendrickson

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Does activity on hard-right social media lead to hard-right civil unrest? If so, why? We created a spatial panel dataset comprising hard-right social media use and incidents of unrest across the United States from January 2020 through January 2021. Using spatial regression analyses with core-based statistical area (CBSA) and month fixed effects, we find that greater CBSA-level hard-right social media activity in a given month is associated with an increase in subsequent unrest. The results of robustness checks, placebo tests, alternative analytical approaches, and sensitivity analyses support this finding. To examine why hard-right social media activity predicts unrest, we draw …

Concerns Over The Cost Of Living Among Older Adults In Singapore, Rachel Ngu, Micah Tan, Paulin T. Straughan, Seonghoon Kim, William Tov, Grace Cheong, Xiaoyan Zhang

ROSA Research Briefs

A post-National Day Rally survey conducted in August 2022 found that the rising cost of living and health-related issues were ranked among the top concerns of Singaporeans (Baharudin, 2022). This comes as no surprise as global crises such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, has resulted in global and domestic inflation (Gov.sg, 2022). In May 2022, Singapore reported a 13-year high core inflation of 3.6% (Channel News Asia, 2022), while in September 2022, Singapore’s core inflation had risen to 5.3% (Ang, 2022). Additionally, the government announced that Singapore residents will see a goods and services tax (GST) …

Smoking Behaviour And Its Impact On The Quality Of Life Of The Beneficiary Families Of Social Assistance Funds In East Java, Indonesia, Renny Nurhasana, Suci Puspita Ratih, Rara Warih Gayatri, Tika Dwi Tama, Ni Made Shellasih, Aryana Satrya, Fadhilah Rizky Ningtyas, Nurul Muhafilah

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

The government implements social assistance programs for poor families and vulnerable groups. Therefore, the implementation is still facing various challenges. One of the toughest challenges is smoking behaviour. As the income has been increasing, the cigarette’s expense is also high. Cigarette’s expenditure substitutes other basic needs, such as nutritional foods, health, and education expenses. This study analyses smoking behaviour in social assistance recipients and its impact on quality of life. By using qualitative method, particularly the Rapid Assessment Procedure, data were obtained through in-depth interviews. The study uses purposive method to collect samples in East Java, both Malang City and …

Survey Of The Labor Market For New Ph.D. Hires In Economics 2023-2024, Kashfia Kamal, Mervin Jebaraj, Raja Kali

Labor Market Survey

This year, the survey questionnaire was sent to 358 organizations. Questionnaires were returned by 146 organizations (39.6 percent). Of this year’s responses, 86 (59 percent) were from those who responded to the last survey conducted for the 2022-23 academic year. Among the academic institutions responding, the distribution of highest degrees offered was as follows: Ph.D.—49.3 percent; Master’s—10.3 percent and Bachelor’s—39 percent.

The responses are reported for all respondents, and separately for Ph.D. Degree granting institutions and for schools whose highest degree offered is the Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree. Data for the top 30 institutions in the revised National Research Council’s …

Commercialization Of Separated Human Body Parts - Unpacking Instrumentalization Approach, Arseny Shevelev, Georgy Shevelev

Pace International Law Review

The principle of non-commercialization, which prohibits trade in separated human body parts, has long been firmly embedded in many European legal orders and has become an integral part of them. However, many new uses for human biomaterials have now been discovered, and the need for them has reached a historical climax. This paper aims to explain the main tenets of non-commercialization theory, including such principles as human dignity and need to protect human’s health, and to show that these categories have so far been understood in a very one-sided and visceral way, and largely in contradiction to their true spirit. …

Effects Of The Raising The Minimum Legal Purchasing Age For Tobacco On Cigarette, Cocaine And Inhalant Consumption, Ahmed Adil

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years, several states have passed laws that increase the minimum legal purchasing age (MLPA) for tobacco from 18 to 21 years. This study examines the impact of statewide MLPA laws on youth tobacco consumption. Using data from the 2009-2019 Youth Risky Behavior Surveys (YRBS) and a difference-in-differences approach, I find that the enactment of MLPA laws is associated with a decrease in tobacco usage among adolescents. I also find that MLPA laws have important spillover effects to other youth risky behaviors. MLPA law adoption is associated with a reduction in cocaine use and inhalant abuse.

The Role Of Religion In The Economic Development Of Pakistan, Nouman Ahmed

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them: Richard Posner And Behavioral Law And Economics, Avishalom Tor, Doran Teichman, Eyal Zamir

Journal Articles

Since its publication in 1973, Economic Analysis of Law (the Treatise) by Richard Posner has been recognized as the canonical treatise in the field. Given this status, observing changes over time in the different editions of the book can highlight substantial and methodological shifts in the area. On this backdrop, this brief essay will highlight Posner's change of attitude towards behavioral analysis of law over the years, culminating with the incorporation of behavioral insights into the las edition of this book, published in 2024.

Unbounding Rationality: Observing And Mitigating K-12 Public Education Administrators’ Cognitive Bias, Julie K. Mesaros

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Humans tend to simplify complex decisions by employing cognitive bias(es). Cognitively biased decision-making by public administrators can be adversely consequential for public organizations, public employees, and the public interest. Given the historical scope of experimental research on cognitive bias in the social and physical sciences, public administration scholars should continue to advance such research across various public sectors. This dissertation study responded to the long-ago call of Herbert Simon for empirical research situated in specific public or political contexts. This qual-QUAN mixed-method study had two main aims: (1) explore decisions that K-12 public education administrators make in personnel management and …

Adaptive Learning Gain In Asset Pricing, Sedealy Juste Lokossou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper delves into the complexities of asset pricing, emphasizing the need to go beyond prevailing paradigms and constant learning gain assumptions. We examine the influence of personal experiences, adaptive learning processes, and subjective return expectations on asset pricing. By incorporating the concept of time-varying learning gain, we provide a more realistic portrayal of asset pricing. Empirical analysis reveals a consistent negative correlation between experienced real payout growth and subsequent returns, indicating counter-cyclical behavior. Our findings also support the mean-reversion hypothesis in stock returns, although caution is needed due to some scenarios lacking statistical significance. Theoretical exploration uncovers that higher …

Conspicuous Wellness: How Acquired Identities Affect Conspicuous Consumption, Katherine S. Eu

Scripps Senior Theses

This research provides evidence that individuals will conspicuously consume based on their acquired identities, which parallels similar conclusions drawn for conspicuous consumption based on ascribed identities. Using data from 653 respondents, I found positive marginal effects of the “that girl” wellness identity on product choices, accounting for an individual’s potential higher willingness-to-pay, demographics, and speed of making product choices. I conclude that the more an individual associates themselves with an identity, the higher the likelihood of choosing products which align and signal membership in an identity subculture.

Monitoring The Philippine Economy Fourth Quarter Report For 2022, Mitzie Irene P. Conchada, Natasha Amber Y. Cabiltes, Brendan Emmanuel A. Miranda, Edgar Desher P. Empeño

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The Philippine economy grew 7.2 percent, featuring robust growth despite facing domestic challenges. Fourth quarter growth reflected a more optimistic consumer sentiment as the economy continued to open up. Economic growth in Q4 2022 was 7.2 percent year-on-year and 17.1 percent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q), showing the Philippines’ consistent effort to create a positive growth outlook for the economy (see Table 1). Year-on-year growth exceeded the median analyst forecast of 6.8 percent despite accelerating inflation and growing food security issues. Revenge spending continues to drive consumption on the demand side while service sector growth remains headstrong on the supply side amid stunted …

Playing To Win: The Effects Of Implementing Gamification Strategies In Product Marketing, Sabrina Stone

CMC Senior Theses

Let’s play a game. What effect do you think video games have on twenty-first-century marketing? In this age defined by its nature of digitality, capturing the attention of consumers is an arduous competition. Through market segmentation, research, and the observable variables of consumer behavior, product marketing has turned to video games as a solution to appeal to younger demographics. Gamification is an increasingly applied product marketing strategy employed to increase favorable metrics. Of those key performance indicators (KPIs), boosted measures such as click-through rates, impressions, and engagement rates suggest that gamification is a strategic opportunity to persuade consumers to take …

Impact Of Recessions And The Business Cycle On Altruism, Nicolas De Mello

CMC Senior Theses

I examine how recessions and the business cycle impact the time individuals allocate to altruism, using American Time Use Survey data from 2002-2019. The aim of the paper was to create a measure of altruism to explore changes in attitudes towards charity and altruism instead of the financial ability to do so. Additionally, I want to understand how economic shocks, such as recessions, impact behaviors and habits across the US population. Using ordinary least squares and the Tobit model, I created two models to capture both changes during and after recessionary periods. The first model is a regression of individuals’ …