We introduce noisy belief equilibrium (NBE) for normal-form games in which players best respond to realizations. Axioms restrict distributions be unbiased with respect and responsive changes the opponents’ behavior. The axioms impose testable restrictions both within across games, we compare these those of regular quantal response (QRE) are placed on function as primitive. NBE can generate simi...

Using administrative data from a large public university, we show that male students are 18.6 percent more likely than female to receive favorable grade changes made by instructors. Surveys of and instructors reveal regrade requests prevalent ask for regrades on the intensive margin. We corroborate gender differences in an incentivized controlled experiment: find males have higher willingness p...

This paper shows that in a buffer stock saving model, wealth-to-income and other interesting variables have unique stable invariant distributions. Previously this ergodic property has only been conjectured and demonstrated numerically by means of simulations. The proof proceeds by extending earlier results about the existence and uniqueness of an ergodic distribution to Markov processes on non-...

We study the impact of deliberation on intertemporal choices. Using multiple experiments, including a field in Democratic Republic Congo, we show that introduction waiting periods—a policy temporally separates information about choices from themselves—causes substantially less myopic decisions. These results cannot be captured by models exponential discounting nor present bias. Comparing effect...

Moral behavior is more prevalent when individuals cannot easily distort their beliefs self-servingly. Do seek to limit or enable ability beliefs? How do these choices affect behavior? Experiments with over 9,000 participants show preferences are heterogeneous—30 percent of prefer belief distortion, while 40 it, even if costly. A random assignment mechanism reveals that being assigned the prefer...

The Earned Income Tax Credit distributes more than $60 billion to over 20 million low-income families annually. Nevertheless, an estimated one-fifth of eligible households do not claim it. We ran six preregistered, large-scale field experiments with 1 observations test whether “nudges” could increase EITC take-up. Despite varying the content, design, messenger, and mode our messages, we find no...

Laboratory evidence shows that when people have to argue for a given position, they persuade themselves about the position’s factual and moral superiority. Such self-persuasion limits potential of communication resolve conflict reduce polarization. We test this phenomenon in field setting, at international debating competitions randomly assign experienced motivated debaters one side topical mot...

We use variation in weather to study the long-term effects of activism during original Earth Day on attitudes, environmental outcomes, and children’s health. Unusually bad April 22, 1970 is associated with weaker support for environment 10 20 years later, particularly among those who were school aged 1970. Bad also higher levels carbon monoxide air greater risk congenital abnormalities infants ...

Employment may be important to well-being for reasons beyond its role as an income source. This paper presents a causal estimate of the psychosocial value employment in refugee camps Bangladesh. We involve 745 individuals field experiment with three arms: control arm, weekly cash and arm equal value. raises substantially more than alone, 66 percent employed are willing forgo payments continue w...

We analyze the incentives for showing off, which we model as a costly signaling game, and study consequences of norms against such behavior. Prior to competing in contest, newcomer can signal his talent an incumbent. In equilibrium, ability occurs only when is exceptionally talented. situations benefits both contestants: obvious reasons; incumbent by economizing on wasted effort contest. Our re...