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Article Journal of Economic Perspectives Summer 2016 Motivated Bayesians: Feeling Moral While Acting Egoistically |
A growing body of research yields ample evidence that individuals’ behavior often reflects an apparent concern for moral considerations. Using a broad definition of morality—to include varied non-egoistic motivations such as fairness, honesty, and efficiency as possible notions of “right” and “good”—economic research indicates that people’s behavior often reflects such motives (Fehr and Schmidt 2006; Abeler, Becker, and Falk 2014). Perhaps this should not come as a surprise to economists, given that Adam Smith prominently highlighted such motivations in The Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1759—17 years before The Wealth of Nations.
Gino, Francesca, Michael I. Norton, and Roberto A. Weber. "Motivated Bayesians: Feeling Moral While Acting Egoistically." Journal of Economic Perspectives 30, no. 3 (Summer 2016): 189–212.
