ICES Experimental Economics Brown Bag Lecture
Cultural Foundations of Socially Responsible Behavior
Thursday, March 6, 2025 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
Vernon Smith Hall (formerly Metropolitan Building), Room 5075
The Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science (ICES) presents an ICES Brown Bag Lecture featuring:
Lund University
Cultural Foundations of Socially Responsible Behavior
Abstract
How persistent are social norms when they interact with market incentives? We conduct a laboratory experiment to examine socially responsible market behavior in settings where norms of responsible conduct are not uniformly shared among all participants. By introducing public discourse separately among sellers or buyers, we identify the causal impact of asymmetric discourse on socially responsible behavior. Our findings reveal that such behavior increases only when all market participants—either sellers or buyers—are targeted. This suggests that campaigns promoting responsible market behavior through discourse may be ineffective if they engage only one side of the market, underscoring the need for interventions that involve both suppliers and consumers to drive meaningful change.
For more information about the Brown Bag Lectures, please visit the Brown Bag Schedule homepage.
