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Homo Oeconomicus versus Homo Reciprocans: Ansätze für ein neues Wirtschaftspolitisches Leitbild?

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  • Armin Falk

Abstract

Public opinion and politics are strongly influenced by economic theory and economic policy advice. Most of the underlying economic reasoning is based on the assumptions of a universal homo oeconomicus. Whether people act according to these assumptions is an empirical question, however. In this paper we report evidence of controlled laboratory experiments, which clearly indicates that contrary to the standard assumptions, reciprocity and fairness are central motives of human behavior. This has important implications for policy advice. We discuss several examples, e.g., tax moral, the design of the welfare state, hidden costs of incentives, wage rigidities and the economics of crime.

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  • Armin Falk, 2003. "Homo Oeconomicus versus Homo Reciprocans: Ansätze für ein neues Wirtschaftspolitisches Leitbild?," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 4(1), pages 141-172, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:perwir:v:4:y:2003:i:1:p:141-172
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2516.t01-1-00011
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    2. Simon Gaechter, 2006. "Conditional cooperation: Behavioral regularities from the lab and the field and their policy implications," Discussion Papers 2006-03, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    3. Wolfram F. Richter, 2007. "Geplante Steuerhinterziehung und ihre effiziente Bestrafung," RWI Materialien, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, pages 31, 08.
    4. Enste Dominik H. & Hüther Michael, 2012. "Bürgerschaftliches Engagement der Unternehmen im öffentlichen Raum / Corporate Citizenship and Civic Engagement of Companies in the Public Sphere," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 63(1), pages 293-324, January.
    5. Müller Christian, 2007. "Der „harte Kern“ der Finanzwissenschaft: Bemerkungen zu einem Buch von Nils Otter," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 58(1), pages 229-235, January.
    6. Simon Gaechter, 2006. "Conditional cooperation: Behavioral regularities from the lab and the field and their policy implications," Discussion Papers 2006-03, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    7. Thieme, Lutz & Winkelhake, Olaf & Hartmann, Ulrich, 2014. "Fairness als universelle Norm? Empirische Evidenz ohne Manna [Fairness as a universal norm? Empiric evidence without manna]," Working Papers of the European Institute for Socioeconomics 12, European Institute for Socioeconomics (EIS), Saarbrücken.
    8. Homann, Karl, 2003. "Braucht die Wirtschaftsethik eine "moralische Motivation"?," Discussion Papers 2003-4, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Chair of Economic Ethics.
    9. Bicskei, Marianna & Lankau, Matthias & Bizer, Kilian, 2014. "How peer-punishment affects cooperativeness in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups: A public goods experiment with social identity," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 200, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    10. Thieme, Lutz & Winkelhake, Olaf, 2018. "Zur Wirkung moralischer Appelle als Nudging? Ergebnisse aus verhaltensökonomischen Experimenten," Working Papers of the European Institute for Socioeconomics 22, European Institute for Socioeconomics (EIS), Saarbrücken.
    11. Marc Piazolo, 2007. "Gerechtigkeit siegt über Eigennutz Ein Ultimatum Bargaining Game anhand von WM-Tickets," Proceedings-5th International Conference on Management, Enterprise and Benchmarking (MEB 2007),, Óbuda University, Keleti Faculty of Business and Management.
    12. Richter, Wolfram F., 2007. "Geplante Steuerhinterziehung und ihre effiziente Bestrafung," RWI Materialien 37, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung.
    13. Reinhold Hofer, "undated". "Wettbewerbsbehörden - institutionelle Bedingung von Wettbewerbsmärkten," Working Papers geewp32, Vienna University of Economics and Business Research Group: Growth and Employment in Europe: Sustainability and Competitiveness.
    14. Bicskei, Marianna & Lankau, Matthias & Bizer, Kilian, 2014. "Negative reciprocity and its relation to anger-like emotions in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 203, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    15. Bicskei, Marianna & Lankau, Matthias & Bizer, Kilian, 2016. "Negative reciprocity and its relation to anger-like emotions in identity-homogeneous and -heterogeneous groups," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 17-34.
    16. Berthold Norbert & Koch Daniel, 2008. "Von der (Un-)Möglichkeit ausgeglichener Haushalte / The Impossibility of balanced budgets," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 59(1), pages 39-62, January.
    17. Martino María Guadalupe & Müller Christian, 2018. "Reciprocity in the Civil Economy: a Critical Assessment," Journal for Markets and Ethics, Sciendo, vol. 6(1), pages 63-74, June.

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