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Optimal Contracting Model in a Social Environment and Trust-Related Psychological Costs

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  • Basov Suren

    (La Trobe University, Melbourne VIC 3086, Australia)

  • Bhatti M. Ishaq

    (La Trobe University, Melbourne VIC 3086, Australia)

Abstract

Most research in contract theory concentrated on the role of incentives in shaping individual behavior. Recent research suggests that social norms also play an important role. From a point of view of a mechanism designer (a principal, a government, and a bank), responsiveness of an agent to the social norms is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it provides the designer with extra instruments, while on the other it puts restrictions on how these new and the more conventional instruments can be used. The main objective of this paper is to investigate this trade-off and study how it shapes different contracts observed in the real world. We consider a model in which agent’s cost of cheating is triggered by the principal’s show of trust. We call such behavior a norm of honesty and trust and show that it drives incentives to be either low powerful or high powerful, eliminating contracts with medium powerful incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Basov Suren & Bhatti M. Ishaq, 2013. "Optimal Contracting Model in a Social Environment and Trust-Related Psychological Costs," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 271-284, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejtec:v:13:y:2013:i:1:p:14:n:7
    DOI: 10.1515/bejte-2012-0011
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mohammad Mansoor Khan & Muhammad Ishaq Bhatti, 2008. "Developments in Islamic Banking," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-58230-9, September.
    2. Huck, Steffen & Kübler, Dorothea & Weibull, Jörgen, 2012. "Social norms and economic incentives in firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 173-185.
    3. Barron, John M & Gjerde, Kathy Paulson, 1997. "Peer Pressure in an Agency Relationship," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(2), pages 234-254, April.
    4. Dirk Sliwka, 2007. "Trust as a Signal of a Social Norm and the Hidden Costs of Incentive Schemes," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(3), pages 999-1012, June.
    5. Suren Basov & Svetlana Danilkina, 2010. "Multitasking, Multidimensional Screening, and Moral Hazard with Risk Neutral Agents," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 86(s1), pages 80-86, September.
    6. M. Mansoor Khan & M. Ishaq Bhatti, 2008. "Development in Islamic banking: a financial risk-allocation approach," Journal of Risk Finance, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 9(1), pages 40-51, January.
    7. Agnès Festré, 2010. "Incentives And Social Norms: A Motivation‐Based Economic Analysis Of Social Norms," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 511-538, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jérémie Bertrand & Paul-Olivier Klein & Jean-Loup Soula, 2022. "Liquidity Creation and Trust Environment," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 62(3), pages 201-232, December.
    2. Hayat Khan, 2019. "A Nontechnical Guide on Optimal Incentives for Islamic Insurance Operators," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Lukman Hanif Arbi, 2021. "A Contract Theory Approach to Islamic Financial Securities with an Application to Diminishing Mushārakah," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, January.
    4. Jérémie Bertrand & Jean-Loup Soula & Paul-Olivier Klein, 2022. "Liquidity Creation and Trust Environment," Post-Print hal-03955028, HAL.
    5. Khan, Hayat, 2015. "Optimal incentives for takaful (Islamic insurance) operators," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 135-144.
    6. Basov, Suren & Bhatti, M. Ishaq, 2014. "On Sharia’a-compliance, positive assortative matching, and return to investment banking," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 191-195.

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