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Using controlled experiments to explore the social sciences, from theory to application, in the lab and in the field.
Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Science
The Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Science (CBESS) was established in 2007 by the Faculty of Social Science at University of East Anglia. The Centre's mission is to further the long tradition at UEA of using controlled laboratory and field experiments to study key questions in the social sciences, from foundational and methodological issues to applied research.
What's on in CBESS
NEWS-2013-30-01- Grischa Green Consumerism
Emission trading schemes limit green consumerism 30th January 2013
New research by Dr Grischa Perino from the School of Economics suggests that many of the recommendations made by government agencies and environmental NGOs about how to reduce an individual's carbon footprint are inappropriate in the European Union, because of its Emission Trading System (EU ETS) which caps emissions from certain industries and allows regulated sources to trade emission allowances. Advice commonly offered, for example by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, includes reducing the number of flights taken, replacing energy-hungry appliances and light bulbs with energy efficient ones and eating less red meat. But Dr Perino says that once the cap is in place installing energy efficient lightbulbs, flying less and many other recommended actions have no impact on total emissions, as they are simply relocated to other sources via the EU ETS trading mechanism. Only eating less meat actually reduces total emissions as, in contrast to electricity production and aviation, emissions from agriculture are not covered by the EU ETS. "Consumers who want to reduce the impact of their consumption and lifestyle should focus on reducing emissions not regulated by the EU ETS. Driving your car less, eating less red meat and improving the insulation of your home substantially reduces your carbon footprint."
Link to full press release: http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2013/January/emissions-trading-schemes-green-consumerism
Link to full paper: http://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/166500/0/CBESS-13-01/bb866dfc-ce62-4d3b-8142-5252120f4e2f
NEWS-2012-04-11- Turocy Research Grant
Dr Turocy is awarded a research grant 23th March 2012
CBESS Director Dr. Theodore Turocy has been awarded a research grant by the British Academy for his project "Bidding in laboratory auctions: a direct comparison of private, common, and general affiliated values settings".
The Centre warmly congratulates Dr. Turocy on this achievement.
CBESS-13-01
Private provision of public goods in a second-best world: Cap-and-trade schemes limit green consumerism
Date: January 2013 Reference Number: CBESS-13-01
Private provision of public goods can only supplement government provision if individual actions affect the level of the public good. Cap-and-trade schemes reduce the overuse of common resources such as a stable climate or fish stocks by imposing a binding cap on total use by regulated agents. Any private contributions provided by means of e.g. green consumerism or life-style choices within such a scheme only impacts on who uses the resource but leaves total use unaffected. Perfect offsetting of marginal contributions is a key design element of cap-and-trade schemes. As real world cap-and-trade policies like the EU Emission Trading System have incomplete coverage, understanding what they cover is crucial for individuals aiming to contribute. Otherwise contribution efforts backfire.
CBESS-12-06
A Popperian Test of Level-k Theory
Hargreaves Heap, Shaun Rojo Arjona, David Sugden, Robert
Date: October 2012 Reference Number: CBESS-12-06
We report an experimental test of level-k theory, applied to three simple games with non-neutral frames – Coordination, Discoordination and Hide and Seek. Using the same frame for all three games, we derive hypotheses that apply across the games and are independent of prior assumptions about salience. Those hypotheses are not confirmed by our experimental results. Our findings contrast with previous research which has fitted parameterised level-k models to Hide and Seek data. We show that, as a theory-testing criterion, the existence of a plausible model that replicates the main patterns in these data has a high probability of false positives.
Publications
PUB-2013-102-Perino
Grischa Perino; Luca Panzone; Tim Swanson. Forthcoming. Motivation crowding in real consumption decisions: Who is messing with my groceries?. Economic Inquiry.
PUB-2013-101-Poulsen
Nabanita Datta Gupta; Anders Poulsen; Marie Claire Villeval. 2013. Gender Matching and Competitiveness: Experimental Evidence. Economic Inquiry 51(1), 816–835. DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2011.00378.x
Seminars
SEM-2013-02-05
CBESS student funding presentations
Tuesday, 5th February 2013 (16.10 - 17.30) in ARTS 2.02
SEM-2013-02-12
FREE
Tuesday, 12th February 2013 (16.10 - 17.30) in ARTS 2.02