We are all familiar with the biases that can lead policymakers and professionals astray. Doctors and lawyers may be overconfident; teachers may have preferences for or against students based on gender, race, and sexual orientation; and judges on judicial panels may be influenced by the ideological orientation of their colleagues. Overconfidence and social preferences can all … [Read more...] about Can a Behavioral Economics Course Help Overcome Biases and Improve Decision-Making?
Behavioral Economics
How Behavioral Economics Boosted Tax Compliance in the Dominican Republic
In the world of tax collection, even small improvements in compliance can have massive financial implications for governments and societies. A recent study, "The $100 Million Nudge," demonstrates how a simple intervention, rooted in behavioral economics, significantly increased tax compliance among firms, resulting in a dramatic boost to public revenue. Tax compliance has … [Read more...] about How Behavioral Economics Boosted Tax Compliance in the Dominican Republic
Greener Businesses: A Win for Nature and the Economy
As the effects of climate change intensify around the world, companies are under growing pressure from government regulations, as well as investors and consumers, to move towards more sustainable and eco-friendly practices. A classic example is the European Union's (EU's) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which entered into a transitional phase in 2023 and will go into … [Read more...] about Greener Businesses: A Win for Nature and the Economy
Improving Road Safety with Behavioral Economics
We speed and drive aggressively out of overconfidence, and we disregard commonsense safety measures from too much optimism. We may even use a mobile phone while driving, preferring the short-term convenience of using the phone over greater long-term rewards like safety. We engage, in other words, in time discounting, the tendency to assign a lower value to future rewards than … [Read more...] about Improving Road Safety with Behavioral Economics
When It Comes to Taxes, Gender Matters
Do women and men behave differently when confronted with taxes? Various studies around the world show that women are more likely than men to pay their taxes, presumably because they are more risk-averse and have greater tax morale, the intrinsic motivation to pay taxes. If that is so, authorities might want to adjust their strategies to take into account gender when trying to … [Read more...] about When It Comes to Taxes, Gender Matters