How does ambiguity affect trade between a price-setting seller and an ambiguity-sensitive buyer? We find that the right kind of ambiguous information makes both the buyer and seller better off than any possible unambiguous information.
How structured management falls short in a crisis: Our study of Spanish firms shows that formal practices, while driving long-run productivity, paradoxically lead to lower performance during downturns because of higher short-run adjustment costs.
Why we’ve been underestimating the economic engine of big cities: Our new analysis of office rents reveals that productivity gains are hidden in high property prices, meaning the true economic advantage of large cities is actually 33% to 50% higher than previously measured.
How mystery products fail to captivate consumers despite the thrill of the unknown: We show that the mix of potential items is the main driver of value, with hidden odds inducing a steeper price discount when the outcomes vary significantly in quality or brand prestige.
How selection bias masks the true size of the gender pay gap: Our new approach reveals that positive selection into employment systematically widens the gap for less educated workers at lower quantiles while narrowing it among top earners.
@ahlfeldt.bsky.social @pietrostefani.bsky.social
Why is there less beautiful architecture than we'd like? Our research shows that because neighbours get the benefits for free while builders pay extra, the market systematically undersupplies the architecture we prefer, making a construction subsidy the most efficient fix.
How AI restrictions can backfire in higher education: Our new experiment shows that unrestricted access to AI tutors fosters significantly better learning outcomes than restricted sessions by enabling gradual scaffolding rather than disruptive, intensive bursts of usage.
How behavioral design can undermine user value despite maximizing engagement: Our experiment shows it doubles app usage time but systematically induces a significantly lower willingness to pay than designs prioritizing transparency and user choice.
How to explain why stocks pay so well while interest rates stay low: Our paper shows that combining rare disasters with tail aversion explains these puzzles without assuming extreme risk aversion, matching real-world data while staying consistent with microeconomic evidence.
How AI integration in research can fall short despite rapid adoption: Our large-scale survey of 6215 researchers shows that a widespread prompting skill gap and persistent gender disparities in familiarity systematically hinder the technology's transformative potential.
Why the motherhood penalty persists: Our analysis shows that declines in general competencies like numeracy account for at most 10% of the long-term child penalty in earnings, suggesting that gender norms, not skill depreciation, remain the primary driver of inequality.
Call for Papers Behavioral Economics
📢 The Call for Papers for the 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗶𝗳𝗼 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀, organized by @klaus-m-schmidt.bsky.social & Ernst Fehr is now open!
Keynotes: Supreet Kaur & @philippstrack.bsky.social
📆 𝟮𝟯 - 𝟮𝟰 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
ℹ️https://www.ifo.de/cesifo/f9G
In cooperation with @rationalitycrc.bsky.social
How do adults react to data on educational inequality? We show that data on the wealth gap in German schools causes people to agree that circumstances impact educational success and increases private donations. Yet, it doesn't change support for government spending.
@benjaminarold.bsky.social @woessmann.bsky.social
📣 Call for Papers - EXTENSION OF DEADLINE
Join us for the 2nd Berlin PhD Conference in Economics in July.
🗓 July 6-8, 2026
⏰ Application deadline: 30 January 2026
🔗 Learn more & apply: berlinschoolofeconomics.de/event-detail...
#phdconference #callforpapers @rationalitycrc.bsky.social
📢 Call for papers:
CESifo Area Conference on Economics of Education
co-organized w/ Eric Hanushek (Stanford)
🏛️ 11-12 Sept 2026, Munich
🧑🏫 Keynote: John List (Chicago) @johnlist.bsky.social
👉 www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/ev...
⏰ Deadline: 11 May 2026
🖼️ Past programs:
sites.google.com/view/woessma...
Does religious education in school create life-long believers? We exploit staggered German state reforms to show that abolishing compulsory religious education significantly reduced students' religiosity as adults and led to higher labor-market participation and earnings.
LMU Munich (@lmumuenchen.bsky.social) , Berlin School of Economics (@bsoeberlin.bsky.social), FU-Berlin (@freieuniversitaet.bsky.social), HU-Berlin (@humboldtuni.bsky.social), WZB Berlin Social Science Center (@wzb.bsky.social), DIW Berlin (@diw.de), Georgia State University
We’d be grateful if you could also share with colleagues and PhD students who work in related areas.
Supported by LMU Munich (@lmumuenchen.bsky.social), CRC TRR “Rationality and Competition” (@rationalitycrc.bsky.social), and DFG RU “Labor market transformation” (FU Berlin) (@diw.de).
➡️ More information and submission form: econexperiments.eu/RiederauWork...
Organizers: Stefano Carattini, Peter Haan (@phaan.bsky.social), Davide Pace (@ddpace.bsky.social), Renke Schmacker (@schmacker.bsky.social), Georg Weizsäcker (@georgweizsaecker.bsky.social)
✈️ Logistics & support: The workshop will be held at Seminarzentrum Riederau; accommodation for two nights will be covered, and limited travel support is available upon request (details in the call).
Keynote speakers:
• Marcella Alsan (@stanford.edu)
• Dmitry Taubinsky (@ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social)
📅 Submission deadline: 28 February 2026 (full papers; pre-analysis plans, pre-registered reports, and extended abstracts also welcome).
What determines a policy’s popularity, including the role of experiences and beliefs, and how does one make socially desirable economic policies politically acceptable?
The workshop will discuss papers that explore the general public’s understanding of the economy, economic and societal problems, and of economic policies aimed at addressing them.
📣 Call for Papers | Riederau Workshop on People’s Understanding of and Support for Economic Policies
We are pleased to announce the Riederau Workshop on People’s Understanding of and Support for Economic Policies, taking place 8–10 September 2026 in Riederau am Ammersee (Germany).
