Authors
Francesca Gino, Michael I Norton, Roberto A Weber
Publication date
2016/8/1
Journal
Journal of Economic Perspectives
Volume
30
Issue
3
Pages
189-212
Publisher
American Economic Association
Description
Research yields ample evidence that individual's behavior often reflects an apparent concern for moral considerations. A natural way to interpret evidence of such motives using an economic framework is to add an argument to the utility function such that agents obtain utility both from outcomes that yield only personal benefits and from acting kindly, honestly, or according to some other notion of “right.” Indeed, such interpretations can account for much of the existing empirical evidence. However, a growing body of research at the intersection of psychology and economics produces findings inconsistent with such straightforward, preference-based interpretations for moral behavior. In particular, while people are often willing to take a moral act that imposes personal material costs when confronted with a clear-cut choice between “right” and “wrong,” such decisions often seem to be dramatically influenced by the …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
F Gino, MI Norton, RA Weber - Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2016