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In a recent publication in Ecological Economics, Stephan Geschwind and Johann Graf Lambsdorff explore how resource scarcity influences human behavior. They conduct a novel lab experiment that simulates an environment with exploitable resources to study the extent of hostility. The study finds that hostility increased towards players responsible for overexploiting resources, i.e., when scarcity was human-induced. Conversely, environmentally induced scarcity mitigated hostility. These findings offer important insights for policymakers. They suggest that the climate crisis may escalate or mitigate hostility and violence, depending on whether it is perceived as being caused by human actions or natural factors.
The article can be accessed via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108388
The corporation became the dominant form of firm in the 19th century, but its nature and advantages are still poorly understood. A recent article "The advantages of the corporate form - an impossibility theorem on persons and things" by Johann Graf Lambsdorff in the Cambridge Journal of Economics provides a game-theoretic proof of these advantages. To achieve these, the corporation had to be given legal capacity, treating it as a person, and be transferable, treating it as a thing. A classic dichotomy between persons and things. This dichotomy had to be overcome in order to secure the advantages of the corporation.
The article can be accessed via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/beae003
Do people lack willpower when they don't stick to their long-term resolutions? In collaboration with researchers from the United Kingdom, Dr. Kevin Grubiak finds in a new study that subjects enjoy the freedom to spontaneously deviate from their resolutions. The results have implications for the assessment of interventions in the spirit of libertarian paternalism, which have so far neglected the intrinsic value of spontaneity.
The study was published in the journal Behavioural Public Policy and can be accessed via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2021.41
Despite much research on anti-corruption, there are few clear findings suggesting effective action. One reason is that anti-corruption efforts focus primarily on deterrence, punishment and control. This overlooks the fact that public officials and business people form reciprocal relationships and, in some cases, have intrinsic motivation to act responsibly and honestly. A comprehensive, behavioral approach must therefore identify measures that, in addition to deterrence, simultaneously strengthen intrinsic motivation to be responsible and curb reciprocity.
For this project, a novel experimental design is used to study human behavior in the laboratory. Four prominent anti-corruption measures will be tested for their effects: Punishing the granting of advantages, accepting advantages, abuse of office, and nullifying the basic contract.
The added value of the project relative to existing research is that the potentially corrupt relationship is modeled realistically as a gray area between extortion, bribery, and abuse of office, and a public official's intrinsic propensity to act responsibly and propensity to reciprocity are prominent in the design. Thus, the project goes far beyond the current state of research and enables the identification of effective anti-corruption measures.
Current Research Projects
The chair does research in the areas of Experimental and Behavioral Economics, Economics of Corruption and Experimental Macroeconomics.
Publications of Prof. Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff in PDF and on Research Gate
Publications of Dr. Kevin Grubiak
Publications of Dr. Katharina Werner and on Research Gate
Publications of Prof. Dr. Marcus Giamattei on Research Gate
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