Bargaining Through Agents: An Experimental Study of Delegation and Commitment

While face-to-face bargaining has proven itself to be extremely efficient in the laboratory, it appears to break down often in the real world. This discrepancy, we assert, is explained by the fact that in the real world face-to-face bargaining is usually conducted not between principals but between the agents of principals. We find a substantial increase in inefficiency when bargaining is conducted through agents rather than through principals and offer an explanation for this rise in inefficiency. As such, this paper helps to shed light on the growing literature on delegation, commitment, and preference distortion games. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C78, C92.     

On the Evaluation of Options on Lotteries: An Experimental Study

We present the results of a comparative experimental study of the evaluation of simple lotteries and call/put/insurance options on these lotteries. The main findings and conclusions are:

(a) The observed bidding patterns depend on the type of asset under evaluation. In particular, subject behavior when buying or selling a basic lottery seems much more cautious than their behavior when buying or selling options on that lottery.

(b) The observed bidding patterns also depend on subject positions with respect to the underlying asset. In particular, the bids for buying lotteries and options long are statistically uncorrelated with the bids for selling the same lotteries and options short.

(c) Subjects with extreme risk attitudes are more inclined to violate basic no-arbitrage conditions (like the call-put parity) when bidding for the different lotteries.

We demonstrate that it is difficult to reconcile the experimental evidence with mainstream theories on individual decision and choice (although we find strong support for prospect theory in some parts of the data). We conclude that the evaluation of options on lotteries is context-dependent and subtler than perceived by existing theories.     

公共项目利益相关者委托代理风险评价研究

有效的识别和评价公共项目利益相关者委托代理风险,有助于明确政府与代理方的责、权、利关系,避免项目实施中的责任推诿,创新公共项目的管理工具,提高项目的管理水平和整体效益。文章在剖析公共项目的契约本质和利益相关者委托代理关系的基础上,识别公共项目委托代理风险的构成,并构建委托代理风险评价指标体系,采用云重心模型测量加权偏离度来衡量云重心的改变,准确地确定评价指标的基本评定值,从而解决定性指标与定量指标评价中的不一致现象。文章为准确评价公共项目利益相关者委托代理风险提供了一种有效的方法。     

积极财政政策执行效果评价模型

积极财政政策执行效果如何?需要有一个客观的评价。在凯恩斯主义国民收入决定理论的基础之上,结合萨缪尔森加速数,通过对河南省经济运行数据的计量模拟,可构建一个政策效果评价模型。该模型给出了财政政策乘数、投资需求拉动乘数、消费需求拉动乘数以及财政支出回馈乘数等评价政策效果的重要参数。     

An Evaluation of the Vanderbilt-JCEE Experimental PSI Course in Elementary Economics

This is considerably longer than articles normally accepted by the JEE, but we considered it to be an important follow-up of our Special Issue No. 2, “The Vanderbilt-JCEE Experimental Course in Elementary Economics.” (Winter 1974.) The authors address a number of aspects of PSI, some of which have rarely been touched upon by other researchers interested in this method. This paper deals not only with student learning and student reactions to PSI, but with its effects on performance in higher level economics courses, its impact on the student proctors in terms of their learning of economics, and the costs of establishing and maintaining a PSI course. Siegfried and Strand have not answered all the questions pertaining to self-paced instruction but, along with Allison, Billings, Fels, Soper, Spector, Tietenberg and others, they have contributed significantly to our knowledge of the effectiveness of PSI.     

Learning to Accept in Ultimatum Games: Evidence from an Experimental Design that Generates Low Offers

Focusing on responder behavior, we report panel data findings from both low and high stakes ultimatum bargaining games. Whereas Slonim and Roth (1998) find that offers are rejected fairly equally across rounds in both low and high stakes games, we find that learning does take place, but only when there is sufficient money on the table. The disparate results can be reconciled when one considers the added power that our experimental design provides-detecting subtle temporal differences in responder behavior requires a data generation process that induces a significant number of proportionally low offers.     

A Model of Spillovers Through Labor Recruitment

This paper develops a model where spillovers can be generated through domestic firm recruitment of employees at a multinational corporation (MNC) where more advanced technologies are employed. It is shown that both spillover and no-spilover equilibria are possible in the model, depending on the marginal costs and benefits of recruitment. Spillover benefits depend on demand parameters and the technological capabilities of the domestic firm, and spillover costs are determined by the MNC's internal wage. Compared with the no-spillover equilibrium, spillovers lead to fewer technology transfers by the MNC and higher market prices. [031, F23]     

Learning in Network Contexts: Experimental Results from Simulations

This paper describes the results of simulation experiments performed on a suite of learning algorithms. We focus on games in network contexts. These are contexts in which (1) agents have very limited information about the game and (2) play can be extremely asynchronous. There are many proposed learning algorithms in the literature. We choose a small sampling of such algorithms and use numerical simulation to explore the nature of asymptotic play. In particular, we explore the extent to which the asymptotic play depends on three factors: limited information, asynchronous play, and the degree of responsiveness of the learning algorithm. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C63, C72.     

James M. Buchanan: Through an Austrian window

This tribute to the late James Buchanan is an elaboration of themes he developed on the importance of processes in real, experienced time, especially for individual choice. The conventional way of modeling choice is to think of it as the solution to a constrained maximization problem. If, however, we look at choice as a process in time it is inseparable from the evolution and self-development of the individual. Preferences emerge in the process of their becoming. The fundamental characteristic of choice is thus the expression of autonomy and not the satisfaction of given preferences. The implications of this for normative economics are explored.     

基于BP算法的企业经营状况评价模型

利用2008年的64家公司的数据构建了以每股收益、每股净资产、净资产收益率、主营利润增长率为主的企业经营状况的指标体系,并通过matlab软件建立了基于BP算法的企业经营状况的评价模型。最后利用该模型对2009年的17家公司的经营状况进行了评价,仿真结果表明,基于BP算法的企业经营状况评价模型是一种非常有效的评价方法。     

差异伯川德模型下战略性贸易政策的实验研究

采用经济学实验的方法,本科生作为被试,货币作为激励手段,研究Eaton和Grossman（1986）提出的差异伯川德竞争方式下一国政府的最佳贸易政策理论。实验设计时考虑实验参与者间交互作用的特性以及被试对＂政策＂与＂征税＂的各种可能的反应,设计了四个设置的实验,对实验数据从被试的决策动机、被试决策时的考虑因素进行分析,运用数学及统计软件进行分析。实验结果显示政府不愿干预国际贸易,不会对本国产品征收出口税;同时分析了本实验研究的现实意义。     

Think Globally,Teach Locally: Experiencing the Foreign Aid Debate Through Service Learning

Abstract

Novel curricular strategies are required if institutions want all students to actively experience the benefits of global knowledge and civic engagement, as financial and practical commitments frequently make study abroad inaccessible to many students. In this paper, we outline an innovative service-learning course, where local action coupled with an international target, offered a parallel and novel learning strategy that capitalized on the strengths of experiential education, while providing a practical and more inclusive student engagement opportunity available to a larger subset of students. We also describe our teaching strategy, which emphasizes the social context of the classroom: discovery, self-exploration, and shared learning. Together, service learning and a critical pedagogy can better help students relate to the otherwise abstract processes of foreign aid. In 2013 and 2014, approximately 30 undergraduate students participated in a student-led outreach project soliciting bicycle donations to support human development efforts in Uganda and Ghana. In addition to making reasonable progress toward learning outcomes during the two-year pilot, we found that the everyday challenges our students encountered in their service-learning project were microcosms for some of the large-scale, global challenges that foreign aid delivery faces.     

Learning under supervision: an experimental study

In many market environments, for example in investment banking, salesforce management and others, workers and supervisors work closely as a team. Workers are paid a fixed salary and supervisors determine any raises, which are typically dependent on how well the organization does. In such scenarios, a supervisor who constantly offers suggestions can create a problem—typically a worker cannot ignore his supervisor’s advice, yet if such advice is wrong and is followed, it will only decrease firm profits. We conduct a laboratory experiment to address a question critical for such settings—does the relationship between advisor and worker interfere with the learning abilities of the worker? The answer is a resounding no. In fact, subjects who have a supervisor advising them and whose advice is costly to ignore actually learn better than those with an advisor whose advice can be ignored. An even more striking result is that advisees as well as advisors in both these conditions learn better than subjects with no advisors. Our result can be attributed to the presence of advice and has direct relevance to learning in many environments.     

基于时间维度的组织学习理论——组织从过去经历中学习的模型

从经历中学习是组织学习的重要方面。从科学、严谨的研究范式出发,结合东方传统的阴阳哲学思想,基于时间维度提出了包含学习主体、经历样本、成功失败经历集、学习主体特征、知和行等要素的组织从过去经历中学习的模型,并对相关问题进行了探究。具体包括:学习主体从经历中学习的认知特性;不同类型经历对应的不同学习方法,成功经历和失败经历对学习效果的差异性影响,经历集影响知和行的7种自动的和有意的学习方式;知与行相互转化及其触发机制;客观世界从时间和空间两个维度客观展开的观点等。该系统模型为未来研究提供了理论框架和实证检验方向。     

基于时间维度的组织学习理论——组织从当前现状中学习的模型

基于组织学习时空理论的时间维度,提出组织从当前现状中学习的模型。该模型包括4个方面:"知",以组织面临的现状、机会和挑战为出发点,运用行动学习的方法,通过团队形式的讨论、反思和质疑、实践的循环,从当前现状中获得知识;"行",将学习到的知识运用于实践,改进自身方案和采取适当行动;知与行的转化,包含知与行的循环;从知和行两个维度评估学习的有效性。最后,总结了理论和实践贡献,并指出存在的不足和未来的改进方向。     

基于空间维度的组织学习理论——组织从内部学习的模型

基于组织学习时空理论的空间维度,认为组织内部是组织学习的重要来源,探索了组织从内部学习的相关问题。建立了组织从内部学习的模型——包括从内部纵向学习和从内部横向学习两个方面,并提出命题。认为:组织从内部学习会产生不同的结论,获得独特的优势,加大学习资源的广度和深度;组织从内部学习的主要方法是知识资源的分享、交换和传播;采取半隔离化子群结构和适当程度的跨群连接两种机制可在更长的时间跨度上达到更佳的学习效果;组织从内部学习类似于某种社会化过程,受到知识资源特征、组织制度政策、个体及环境等的影响;组织从内部学习受到组织内社会网络特征的影响;自我反思、行动学习和情景规划是组织从内部学习的重要方式;要将组织从内部学习与组织从外部学习相结合。该理论模型为未来研究提供了方向。     

基于空间维度的组织学习理论——组织从外部学习的模型

基于组织学习时空理论的空间维度,提出了组织从外部学习的模型。研究内容包括两个方面:一方面,基于外部组织类型的视角,以企业为例,探讨了组织向外部不同类型组织的学习——具体包括组织向政府、供应商、顾客、竞争者和合作者的学习,组织在向外部不同类型组织的学习中获取知识的维度和方式,知识的整合以及从外部学习与从内部学习的结合;另一方面,基于组织嵌入网络的视角,进一步探讨了组织与外部其他组织建立的网络,网络连带的强度、网络密度和组织在网络中所处的位置对组织从外部学习的影响,网络结构的决定因素,以及组织在网络中的权力和地位。最后总结了理论和实践贡献,并指出了存在的不足和未来的研究方向。     

Assessing the Impact of an Instructional Innovation on Achievement Differentials: The Case of Computer-Assisted Instruction

In this article the authors offer “an alternative to the conventional procedure for assessing the quantitative impact of an instructional innovation on achievement differentials.” Although computer-assisted instruction is the medium discussed here, the authors claim that any innovative technique that affects the student's allocation of time can be analyzed in a similar fashion. Thus, this piece should be of interest not only to those experimenting with computer-assisted instruction but to all who are engaged in experimental economic education research.