We study behavior in a search experiment where sellers receive randomized bids from a computer. At any time, sellers can accept the highest standing bid or ask for another bid at positive costs. We find that sellers stop searching earlier than theoretically optimal. Inducing a mild form of time pressure strengthens this finding in the early periods. We find no significant differences in search behavior between individuals and groups of two participants. However, there are marked gender differences.

We investigate the importance of relative income within the Indian Caste system, using a choice experiment.

Results indicate that visitors look at the behavior of others in deciding if and how much to donate, but partially reject being told what to do. Also, as the social reference moves farther away from average behavior, its effect on the typical visitor is diminished, leading to lower and less frequent donations.

This paper attempts to bring some central insights from behavioural economics into the economics of climate change.

Does relative income have an impact on subjective well-being among extremely poor people? Contrary to the findings in developed countries, where relative income has shown a significant and negative impact on subjective well-being, this study (based on different definitions of reference groups) suggests that relative income does not affect subjective well-being among the very poor people in northern Ethiopia.

The burden of typhoid fever remains high in impoverished settings, and increasing antibiotic resistance
is making treatment costly. One strategy for reducing the typhoid morbidity and mortality is vaccination
with the Vi polysaccharide vaccine.We use awealth of neweconomic and epidemiological data to evaluate
the cost-effectiveness of Vi vaccination against typhoid in sites in four Asian cities: Kolkata (India), Karachi
(Pakistan), North Jakarta (Indonesia), and Hue (Vietnam). We report results from both a societal as well

This paper proposes that ethnicity coupled with ethnic nepotism may reduce interpersonal generalised trust.

We use the 2001 wave of the World Values Survey data for eight African countries to test this claim, and show that while ethnicity and ethnic nepotism are each important in affecting generalised trust levels, their interaction has a self-reinforcing and negative effect on trust levels. The results underscore the importance of institutions in controlling ethnic nepotism and thus partly in mitigating the adverse effects of ethnicity on trust.

This study measured the discount rates of 262 farm households in the Ethiopian highlands, using a time preference experiment with real payoffs. In general, the median discount rate was very high and varied systematically with wealth and risk aversion. Our findings, however, warn that rates-of-time preferences (RTPs) and risk aversion reinforce each other and are easily confused. Because the RTPs were so high, what seem like profitable investments from the outside might not seem so from the farmers’ perspectives.

The effects of stake size on cooperation and punishment are investigated using a public goods experiment.

The effects of stake size on cooperation and punishment are investigated using a public goods experiment. We find that an increase in stake size does neither significantly affect cooperation nor the level of punishment.