Güth, Werner (Director Strategic Interaction Group, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics, Jena; Professor of Economics, University of Jena)

Kliemt, Hartmut (Professor)

Levati, M. Vittoria

Max Planck Institute of Economics (Jena)

2008-092

Context-dependent preferences

Equity theories

Experimental economics

Human decision making is a process guided by different and partly competing motivations that can each dominate behavior and lead to different effects depending on strength and circumstances. “Over-stylizing” neglects such competing concerns and context-dependence, although it facilitates the emergence of elaborate general theories. We illustrate by examples from social dilemma experiments and inequality aversion theories that sweeping empirical claims should be avoided.