Research
Published articles (peer-reviewed)
Kahneman in Quotes and Reflections
(with Brett Buttliere, Alexios Arvanitis, Michał Białek, Shoham Choshen-Hillel, Shai Davidai, Thomas Gilovich, Uriel Haran, Qiao Kang Teo, Vojtech Kotrba, Chengwei Liu, David Mandel, Gordon Pennycook, Tobias R. Rebholz, Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck, Norbert Schwarz, Zeev Shtudiner, Steven Sloman, Joakim Sundh, Cass Sunstein, Daniel Västfjäll and Mario Weick)
2024. Psychological Inquiry, 35(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2024.2366813
Work in Progress
Penalties, rewards and prosocial behavior: measuring social esteem
(with Daniele Nosenzo and Silvia Sonderegger)
Status: Manuscript in preparation
Abstract:
Do monetary incentives damage the net social esteem associated with a prosocial action? And, if that is the case, when is it more likely to happen? We propose a novel, portable and incentive-compatible framework that measures net social esteem from prosocial behaviour. It is based on vignettes and second-order beliefs, and it provides a potential toolkit for policymakers to identify when monetary incentives are most likely to backfire before implementing them. We run a large-scale online experiment with a UK sample (N = 5,368) within the context of COVID-19 vaccinations. Following our theoretical setup, we specifically focus on comparing (i) reward vs. penalty, (ii) small vs. large monetary incentives, and (iii) low vs. high baseline vaccination rates. We observe significant reduction in net esteem from monetary incentives, but only in the case of rewards. The size of the incentive and the baseline vaccination rate seem to matter little. Using our experimental results, we estimate the tipping point at which an individual would be "crowded out" in our setup.
Correcting misperceptions in sustainable practices, norms and policy support
(with Francesco Fallucchi, Philippe Van Kerm and Bertrand Verheyden)
Status: Data collection finished, data analysis ongoing
Policy Reports
(with Bertrand Verheyden, Michel Tenikue, Philippe Van Kerm, Francesco Fallucchi and David Cristelo)
2024. Luxembourg Stratégie, Ministry of Economy.
The SOC2050 study, commissioned by Luxembourg Strategy and conducted by LISER from November 2022 to August 2023, assessed the citizens’ interest in transitioning society and the economy in Luxembourg towards greater resilience and sustainability. This initiative contributes to the United Nations Goal – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG12).
This report describes the final results of the longitudinal online survey conducted in SOC2050. This study surveyed 912 individuals who participated in a three-wave study over 10 months and who provided rich information about their behaviours and attitudes toward sustainability. Four domains were selected for their major impact on sustainability and their carbon footprint: meat consumption, mobility patterns, home energy consumption, and the acceptance of financial sacrifices to reduce one’s carbon impact. The survey also collected in each wave participants’ support towards six hypothetical policies aimed at regulating or taxing unsustainable behaviours.