- 02 Feb 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Nonprofits in Good Times and Bad Times
Tax returns from millions of US nonprofits reveal that charities do not expand during bad times, when need is the greatest. Although they are able to smooth the swings of their activities more than for-profit organizations, nonprofits exhibit substantial sensitivity to economic cycles.
- 13 Nov 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Gender Gap in Self-Promotion
Many organizations and job applications require individuals to assess their own ability and performance. When women communicate to potential employers, however, they systematically give less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability than equally performing men. The study rules out potential explanations for the gap and discusses implications.
- 22 Jan 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
When Gender Discrimination Is Not About Gender
Gender discrimination in a typically male workplace is not necessarily driven by misogyny. Rather, employers are less willing to hire applicants associated with a lower performing group-even if that group is defined by a demographic characteristic other than gender.
- 17 Nov 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Equity Concerns Are Narrowly Framed
This paper based on a large online study finds that individuals tend to differentiate in their concerns about fairness along specific dimensions, especially time and money, and are much more worried about fairness in one (time) than the other (money). These attitudes may help explain a seemingly wide variety of phenomena.
- 19 Oct 2017
- Research & Ideas
How Charitable Organizations Can Thwart Excuses for Not Giving
Charitable organizations provide all kinds of reasons for donors to give money—but sometimes their messaging does just the opposite, shows research by Christine Exley. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Sep 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 12, 2017
The need to consider self-managing organizations...The downside of positive information...The case of Signet Jewelers
- 12 Sep 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
The Better is the Enemy of the Good
Previous research has shown that individuals’ self-serving responses to information may arise when payoff information is subjective or uncertain. This study, in the context of charitable giving, shows that individuals’ ability to respond to payoff information in a self-serving way even includes situations when information is complete and certain.
- 11 Sep 2017
- Research & Ideas
Why Employers Favor Men
Why are women discriminated against in hiring decisions? Research by Katherine Coffman, Christine Exley, and Muriel Niederle finds the answer is more subtle than expected. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 31 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
Why These Business School Professors Oppose Trump's Executive Order on Immigration
More than 14,800 professors at United States colleges and universities —including some 50 Nobel laureates— signed a petition opposing President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on immigration. Signatories from Harvard Business School explain their opposition. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Apr 2016
- Research & Ideas
The Cost of Leaning-in
Women who are forced to negotiate tend to fare worse than if they hadn’t negotiated at all, according to research by Christine Exley, Muriel Niederle, and Lise Vesterlund. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Apr 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Knowing When to Ask: The Cost of Leaning-in
The popular push for women to “lean in” holds that women should negotiate on their own behalf to overcome the gender wage gap. This study, however, shows the importance of choice in successful negotiations. Women usually choose to enter negotiations leading to financial gains and avoid negotiations that would result in financial losses. Regardless of the reasons for avoidance, leaning-in is not automatically the best advice for women.
- 23 Mar 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Finding Excuses to Decline the Ask
An online experiment by Christine L. Exley and Ragan Petrie involving 6,000 potential donors to animal-rescue charities finds a 22 percent drop in interest in donating when individuals know “the ask” is coming and have time to develop excuses for not contributing. Results imply that nonprofits have a variety of options for better adapting how they solicit funds.
- 15 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Incentives for Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Reputations
This study documents how small monetary incentives discourage volunteering when they are public and thus introduce a “greedy” signal. The discouragement from this greedy signal, however, is less pronounced among volunteers with public reputations, or those who are likely known not to be too greedy.
- 04 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Understanding Conformity: An Experimental Investigation
When psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists (as well as some economists) theorize about social conformity, they see individuals’ preferences as fluid and subject to a variety of social influences. Economic models of conformity, however, tend to focus on how individuals update their beliefs and assume that preferences are more or less fixed and immutable. The researchers conducted laboratory experiments to explore different aspects of conformity. Taken together, results imply that the economics literature has to date focused too narrowly on explanations for conformity.
- 21 Dec 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Wage Elasticities in Working and Volunteering: The Role of Reference Points in a Laboratory Study
Nonprofit organizations often rely on reference points—explicit or implicit targets and goals—to encourage more effort from volunteers. This study finds that effort does tend to cluster around reference levels, so this may be perceived as a very effective strategy. Yet reference levels can potentially backfire: in response to higher volunteer wages or productivity, volunteers may reduce their effort so as to meet the reference level.
- 17 Dec 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Observability Increases the Demand for Commitment Devices
People often demand commitment so as to avoid self-damaging activities or pursue desirable behavior. This study provides evidence for an additional reason people demand commitment: the desire to signal to others. The observability of individuals’ commitment choices thus proves to be a powerful leverage.
- 16 Sep 2015
- Research & Ideas
Can Applied Economics Save Homeless Puppies?
At a startup she co-founded while pursuing a doctorate in economics, Christine L. Exley is rescuing dogs with principles of market design. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
Information Avoidance and Image Concerns
People avoid information that might compel them to behave more generously. While many people avoid information due to concerns about their self-image, there is a substantial role for other reasons, such as inattention and confusion.