Masaryk University Economic Seminars

Why do people sometimes give time and at other times give money? We study how this choice is linked to context-specific norms. In an experiment comparing climate and history domains, we document that volunteering is seen as more appropriate in the climate context, while no clear norm favors either form of giving in the history context. This difference is mirrored in behavior: social norms are associated with volunteering when there is a social norm for volunteering, whereas personal norms are more closely associated with behavior when shared expectations are weak. Comparing stakeholders and spectators, we find no evidence that norm perceptions reflect motivated reasoning. Together, the results indicate that social norms are associated with behavior when a shared norm is present, whereas personal norms are more relevant when it is not.

Hande Erkut is a postdoctoral researcher in the Market Behavior research unit at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. She is interested in ethics and how it influences and is influenced by decision making across different areas of life, such as social, economic, and health. Her research uses tools from behavioral and experimental economics.

Sign up for a 1-to-1 meeting with Hande: https://is.muni.cz/tudle/jorv

Deborah Nováková is the Head of the Academic Skills Center at CERGE-EI, where she has been teaching since August 2012. She has gained professional experience at the University of Birmingham, Maastricht University, and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Canada. Her presentation will focus on the core skills needed for effective academic writing and presentations in today’s academic environment, highlighting common mistakes and offering practical guidance, particularly relevant for Ph.D. students and junior faculty members.