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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

Current Research Projects

BMBF project DeepWrite Better writing and arguing in Law and Economics through AI

BMBF project DeepWrite: Better writing and arguing in Law and Economics through AI

DFG Project Between Responsibility and Reciprocity - Contributions of Experimental Corruption Research

DFG Project: Between Responsibility and Reciprocity - Contributions of Experimental Corruption…

Internet Center for Corruption Research

The Internet Center for Corruption Research explores corruption worldwide, with a particular focus on behavioral perspectives. In addition to data, indices, and studies, it offers courses and workshops for students and professionals.

Publications

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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Internet Center for Corruption Research

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