Questions from General Economics


Q: Why do behavioral economists consider it helpful to base a theory of

Why do behavioral economists consider it helpful to base a theory of economic behavior on the actual mental processes that people use to make decisions? Why do neoclassical economists not care about...

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Q: Economist Gerd Gigerenzer characterizes heuristics as “fast and frugal” ways

Economist Gerd Gigerenzer characterizes heuristics as “fast and frugal” ways of reaching decisions. Are there any costs to heuristics being “fast and frugal”? Explain and give an example of how a fa...

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Q: There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Evaluate this statement

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Evaluate this statement in terms of the recognition heuristic.

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Q: Suppose that Ike is loss averse. In the morning, Ike’s

Suppose that Ike is loss averse. In the morning, Ike’s stockbroker calls to tell him that he has gained $1,000 on his stock portfolio. In the evening, his accountant calls to tell him that he owes an...

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Q: You just accepted a campus job helping to raise money for your

You just accepted a campus job helping to raise money for your school’s athletic program. You are told to draft a fund-raising letter. The bottom of the letter asks recipients to write down a donation...

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Q: In the early 1990’s, New Jersey and Pennsylvania both reformed their

In the early 1990’s, New Jersey and Pennsylvania both reformed their automobile insurance systems so that citizens could opt for either a less-expensive policy that did not allow people to sue if they...

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Q: What does behavioral economics have to say about each of the following

What does behavioral economics have to say about each of the following statements? a. “Nobody is truly charitable-they just give money to show off.” b. “America has a ruthless capitalist system. Con...

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Q: Do people playing the dictator game show only self-interested behavior

Do people playing the dictator game show only self-interested behavior? How much divergence is there in the splits given by dictators to the other player?

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Q: Evaluate the following statement. “We shouldn’t generalize from what people

Evaluate the following statement. “We shouldn’t generalize from what people do in the ultimatum game because $10 is a trivial amount of money. When larger amounts of money are on the line, people wi...

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Q: What do you think of the ethics of using unconscious nudges to

What do you think of the ethics of using unconscious nudges to alter people’s behavior? Before you answer, consider the following argument made by economists Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, who favo...

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