Behavioral Economics Commons^™

Housing Burden And Insurance Expenditures, Melanie M. Lytell

Honors Capstones

Housing costs shape the way families spend on protection and security. This study looks at how the share of income devoted to housing, the housing burden, influences household spending on four types of insurance: vehicle, life, personal, and health. Using data from nearly 92,000 households and regression models that account for state differences, I find that even small increases in housing burden shift insurance choices in meaningful ways. A one‑percentage‑point rise in housing burden is linked to a 2.1% increase in vehicle insurance spending and a 0.5% increase in life insurance, but a 0.7% decrease in personal insurance and a …

Does Investing In Schools Reduce Violent Crime?, Jamein Cunningham, Monique E. Davis, Kenneth Whaley

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Modeling Social Isolation: A Data-Driven Index Function Design And Implementation, Jeremis N. Morales Morales, Carmen Caiseda, Phyllis Muniu, Joshua Atsu, Folashade B. Agusto

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Learning About Stability Of Risk Preferences, Levon Barseghyan, Francesca Molinari, Joshua C. Teitelbaum

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Classical theories posit that risk preferences are stable across decision contexts. Two branches of empirical literature assess this claim. Structural approaches examine within-person consistency of model-based estimates of risk aversion, while “model-free” approaches examine within-person correlations of risky choices. We elucidate the latent structure underlying the model-free approach. Using this structure, we develop a new approach to assessing preference stability that has stronger testable implications, and we partially identify features of stability and heterogeneity of risk preferences. Our study illustrates a general principle: partial identification through minimal assumptions grounded in economic theory robustly bridges fully structural and model-free methods.

Does Idiosyncratic Volatility Follow A Random-Walk? Evidence From U.S. Stocks, Zihan Cao, Ossama Elhadary

Publications and Research

In asset pricing literature, idiosyncratic volatility (IVOL) measures the firm-specific risk that is not explained by broader market movements. In this study, I investigate whether the idiosyncratic volatility (IVOL) of individual stocks follows a random-walk. Using monthly residuals from the Fama-French three-factor model (Fama & French, 1993), I estimate IVOL for more than 11,000 U.S. stocks, and apply the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test (Said & Dickey, 1984) to determine whether IVOL behaves like a random-walk. While most stocks display random-walk behavior, the proportion varies across industries, with some sectors showing deviations from random-walk behavior. Stocks with different levels of average return …

The Social Impact Of Unconditional Cash Transfer: A Quasi-Experimental Approach, Andar Ristabet Hesda

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This study investigates the social effects of the unconditional cash transfer program and analyzes the underlying mechanism. The empirical analysis indicates that those who consistently participated as program beneficiaries own greater social capital than those who did not maintain continuous enrollment in the program. One mechanism of this impact is enhanced personality, particularly in social behavior. Furthermore, the characteristic of social capital most impacted is heightened participation in communal activities. This study indicates that the program neither displaces private aid nor promotes altruism. These data contradict the claim that the targeted cash transfer program could incite societal discord by fostering …

Do Financial Concerns Make Workers Less Productive?, Dua Khowaja

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Financial stress does not just affect people’s finances; it can change the way individuals behave. This project asks whether short-term financial difficulty damages worker performance or if alleviating it improves focus and accuracy. Using data from a field experiment in rural India, this study examine how labor payment timing variability is related to workers' productivity and error rates. The study randomized payment dates across a sample of employees, so that employees paid early can be compared to employees paid on standard or later dates. It investigates whether subsidy of payments relieves stress and enhances task performance by minimizing stress, enhancing …

Aging In America: Implications For Family Resource Management, Becky Smith, Portia Johnson, Brandan Wheeler, D E Kiss, Ann A. Berry

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The Stanford Center on Longevity reports life expectancy has surged over the last 120 years. Unfortunately, living longer may not equate to living with a higher quality of life without considering the amount, type, and uses of all resources available to individuals and families as they age. Family Resource Management (FRM) is the science and art of how individuals and families make decisions to develop and allocate resources, including money, time, energy, space, material, and health assets, and networks of support to meet their goals. Living longer means making more decisions and developing and allocating more resources to enhance the …

Mymoney: A Program That Leverages Digital And Artificial Intelligence Tools For Improving The Financial Wellbeing Of Hispanic Families, Luisa Blanco, Kamila Campos, Jessica Gonzalez, Jorge Macias

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Abstract: Our Community-Based Digital Intervention (CBDI) MyMoney was designed to meet the informational needs and promote behavioral change among Hispanic adults. We leverage Digital and Artificial Intelligence (DAI) tools to provide participants access to content that is linguistically and culturally tailored and structured to be delivered in short, accessible modules. MyMoney program provided an introductory experience to financial education with a mobilephone based approach, offering a four-week experience for improving money management skills. We conducted an extensive quantitative and qualitative data analysis of participants’ and stakeholders’ program experience and perspectives, which provides important insights for the design, evaluation, and implementation …

Efek Program Pendampingan Umkm Terhadap Performa Ketahanan Pendapatan Dan Penyerapan Tenaga Kerja Umkm : Studi Kasus Program Jakpreneur Dki Jakarta, Farah Khoirur Fadhila, Muhammad Hanri

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

This study discusses the effects of assistance program with business digitalization features, on the income resilience and labor absorption of the assisted MSMEs, case study of DKI Jakarta’s JakPreneur Program. Observation data from 2017-2021 tested business resilience under time and economic crisis challenge, cause of pandemic. Treatment group is 31 respondents of JakPreneur members who had participated since 2017 or 2018. Control group is SAKERNAS data from 2017-2021. The result shows that treatment groups had lower incomes but were able to retain workers compared to control groups. Their low income is due to limitations in implementing business digitalization and accounting.

Revisiting Kin And Ethnic Favoritism In The Bribery Experiment, Mahsa Akbari, Duman Bahrami-Rad, Erik O. Kimbrough

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

We report a conceptual replication of Akbari et al. (2020), who study the impact of co-ethnicity and kinship on behavior in an experimental “bribery game”. In the game, player A can offer a bribe to B, who can help A by inefficiently transferring resources from passive third-party C. We replicate the finding that by varying the relatedness of A, B and C, we can substantially modulate the willingness of A to offer the bribe and the willingness of B to reciprocate the bribe by harming C. The findings are consistent with theories of kin altruism and ethnic favoritism.

Sociohydrodynamics: Data-Driven Modeling Of Social Behavior, Daniel S. Seara, Jonathan Colen, Michel Fruchart, Yael Avni, David G. Martin, Vincenzo Vitelli

Data Science Faculty Publications

Living systems display complex behaviors driven by physical forces as well as decision-making. Hydrodynamic theories hold promise for simplified universal descriptions of socially generated collective behaviors. However, the construction of such theories is often divorced from the data they should describe. Here, we develop and apply a data-driven pipeline that links micromotives to macrobehavior by augmenting hydrodynamics with individual preferences that guide motion. We illustrate this pipeline on a case study of residential dynamics in the United States, for which census and sociological data are available. Guided by Census data, sociological surveys, and neural network analysis, we systematically assess standard …

Essays In Applied Microeconomics, William Cunningham

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to three interconnected areas of economic research: microeconomics, behavioral economics, and urban economics. Each chapter examines how individual decision-making processes may produce more pronounced economic patterns, while highlighting the role of psychological factors and spatial considerations in shaping outcomes. Chapter 1 studies the causes and dynamics of segregation in US neighborhoods. A conditional instrumental variables estimator allows for unbiased estimation of preferences for past neighborhood minority shares by addressing endogeneity concerns present in my theoretical model. I use estimated preference parameters to simulate neighborhood population dynamics for Texas. I regress measures of racial animus and xenophobia on …

Decision Field Theory For Human-Multi-Robot Collaboration: Human-Centric Decision-Making For Multi-Robot Systems, Ryan Mbagna Nanko

All Theses

At first glance, choosing between an apple and an orange appears to be a straightforward matter of personal taste; however, this seemingly simple preference opens a window into the multifaceted world of decision-making, revealing the complex interplay of cognitive processes, psychological, and behavioral-economic principles that guide our choices \cite{bandyopadhyayRoleAffectDecision2013}. By unpacking these nuanced perspectives, we uncover insights that can drive more effective human-robot interaction and collaboration.

Modeling human cognition requires understanding the evolution of choice utility and the influence of emotions. Decision Field Theory (DFT) stands out by capturing the fluctuating nature in human preferences over time, explaining why choices …

Criminal Behavior Responses To Changing Penalties: Estimating The Impact Of Felony Theft Threshold Changes, Ezra R. Simmons

All Theses

This study estimates how criminal behavior changes in response to shifts in felony theft thresholds, contributing to broader evidence on the deterrent effects of criminal penalties. Using detailed incident-level crime reports, this study applies econometric techniques to evaluate how offenders responded to reduced penalties. Analyzed within is California’s Proposition 47, which raised the felony threshold for theft-related offenses from $450 to $950. The results show a significant increase in low-level shoplifting (approximately 21%) and more substantial rises (approximately 24% to 30%) in crimes within the threshold overlap ($450 to $950). Additionally, the value stolen in crimes below the $450 threshold …

Pengaruh Emotional Intelligence, Locus Of Control, Risk Aversion, Dan Financial Literacy Terhadap Risky Investment Intention Di Indonesia, Sekar Savira Ramadhani, Maria Ulpah, Wardatul Adawiyah

Jurnal Manajemen dan Usahawan Indonesia

This study investigates how individual factors—namely emotional intelligence, external locus of control, risk aversion, and financial literacy—affect the intention to invest in risky financial instruments in Indonesia. The research explores both the direct and indirect effects of these factors on risky investment intentions. Data were collected from 507 respondents through an online questionnaire. The findings indicate that emotional intelligence, external locus of control, and financial literacy positively influence the intention to invest in risky assets, while risk aversion has a negative effect. Additionally, the analysis of indirect effects shows that financial literacy moderates the relationship between emotional intelligence and risk …

The Implications Of Religiosity And Complementary Determinants On The Repurchase Intention Of Halal-Certified Food In Indonesia 2024, Jihan Luthfiyyah Siregar, Nurdin Sobari

ASEAN Marketing Journal

Manuscript Type: Research Article.

Research Aims: This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework to examine the impact of religiosity on repurchase intentions for halal-certified food, incorporating factors such as subjective norms, awareness, trust, halal knowledge, halal certification, and perceived behavioral control.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from 472 respondents through a purposive sampling survey in Indonesia, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS v.3.2.9.

Research Findings: A total of 20 hypotheses were tested. The findings reveal that religiosity influences the mediators—halal knowledge, halal certification, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—which, in turn, shape attitudes and stimulate …

Qris Adoption And Utilization: Examining Gen Z’S Digital Payment Behavior Among Indonesian Vocational Students, Febri Andriyani, Beatrix Siagian, Pijar Suciati, Ajenk Citra

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

The rapid growth of digital payment systems has significantly influenced consumer behavior, particularly among Generation Z, who readily adopt cashless transactions. This study examines the adoption and usage of QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) as a payment method at the Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (Vokasi UI) canteen. Using a descriptive research design, data were collected from 145 respondents through a structured survey with Stratified Random Sampling to ensure representativeness. The findings reveal that 98% of respondents actively use QRIS, and 100% expressed confidence in understanding its functionality. Users rated QRIS as practical and reliable (100%) and secure (98%), …

The Dynamics Of Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach To Message Credibility And Consumer Engagement, Ali Nasirzonouzi, Carlos Gershenson

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is a critical factor in the dissemination of information and adoption of products in social networks. This paper investigates the impact of two important factors message credibility and consumer engagement on WOM adoption dynamics using agent-based modeling (ABM). This study proposes a simple qualitative model to investigate how these factors influence adoption rates through both broadcast communication and peer-to-peer influence by simulating interactions on a spatially clustered network.

The findings show that increased message credibility significantly boosts adoption, achieving a balance between broadcast and social mechanisms. Also, consumer engagement primarily affects the adoption mechanism, shifting the effect …