El comportamiento económico (Economic Behavior)
La economía del comportamiento humano (así la llamaría yo y no economía conductual) estudia las decisiones economicas, la organización y el comportamiento del ser humano. Con el objetivo de mejorar el conocimiento de cómo las caracteristicas del comportamiento humano (a nivel cognitivo) influyen sobre el funcionamiento de las organizaciones economicas, las economías de mercado, y cómo las caracteristicas estructurales de las economías derivan en distintos tipos de comportamientos a niveles micro y macro, cambiando los patrones de desarrollo y evolución institucional.
El supuesto esencial del análisis económico de los individuos en estas áreas es: el ser humano tiene un comportamiento oportunista.
Veamos unas cuantas citaciones como ejemplos, con los cuales pretendo mostrar el alcance de estas teorías, y como el ser humano sigue un patrón el cual se puede matematizar y por lo tanto modelizar, el ser humano es más simple de lo que imaginamos.
(El material se encuentra en inglés dado que no es de uso común)
1) The Role of Golem, Pygmalion, and Galatea Effects on Opportunistic Behavior in the Classroom
W. Glenn Rowe & James O’Brien (The University of Western Ontario)
The concept of opportunism from transaction cost and agency theories suggests that in a normal class of students, there may be a few who will engage in opportunistic behavior, and to identify who they are will be virtually impossible. Therefore, professors engage in practices to keep students from engaging in opportunistic activities such as cheating. This article explores the possibility that some of these practices may be creating a "destructive Golem effect" in those students who would not otherwise engage in opportunistic behavior and explores ways to create Pygmalion and Galatea effects in the classroom.
Journal of Management Education, Vol. 26, No. 6, 612-628 (2002)
2) Este libro simplemente me encanta:
Biblical Games: Game Theory and the Hebrew Bible
De Steven Brams
In this unusual book, first published by The MIT Press in 1980 and now updated with a new chapter, Steven Brams applies the mathematical theory of games to the Hebrew Bible. Brams's thesis is that God and the human biblical characters acted rationally--that is, given their preferences and their knowledge of other players' preferences, they made strategy choices that led to the best attainable outcomes. Beginning with the Creation and focusing on those stories richest in conflict and intrigue, Brams uses elementary game-theoretic tools to elucidate the rational calculations of biblical players and to show precisely the manner in which they sought to achieve their goals. He relies almost exclusively on noncooperative theory, making use of both game tree and matrix forms of games. Brams uses his strategic analyses to build a detailed assessment of God's character and motivations, including the reasons for His frequently wrathful behavior. Brams's insights have application to biblical studies, the philosophy of religion, political theory, and game theory and methodology. In the new chapter, Brams surveys the literature of the past twenty years on political-strategic interpretations of the Hebrew Bible. He also extends the game-theoretic analysis, using the theory of moves, to study a counterfactual situation--what if Abraham had refused God's command to sacrifice Isaac?--and to examine the rationality of believing in a superior being.
Veamos unas cuantas citaciones como ejemplos, con los cuales pretendo mostrar el alcance de estas teorías, y como el ser humano sigue un patrón el cual se puede matematizar y por lo tanto modelizar, el ser humano es más simple de lo que imaginamos.
(El material se encuentra en inglés dado que no es de uso común)
1) The Role of Golem, Pygmalion, and Galatea Effects on Opportunistic Behavior in the Classroom
W. Glenn Rowe & James O’Brien (The University of Western Ontario)
The concept of opportunism from transaction cost and agency theories suggests that in a normal class of students, there may be a few who will engage in opportunistic behavior, and to identify who they are will be virtually impossible. Therefore, professors engage in practices to keep students from engaging in opportunistic activities such as cheating. This article explores the possibility that some of these practices may be creating a "destructive Golem effect" in those students who would not otherwise engage in opportunistic behavior and explores ways to create Pygmalion and Galatea effects in the classroom.
Journal of Management Education, Vol. 26, No. 6, 612-628 (2002)
2) Este libro simplemente me encanta:
Biblical Games: Game Theory and the Hebrew Bible
De Steven Brams
In this unusual book, first published by The MIT Press in 1980 and now updated with a new chapter, Steven Brams applies the mathematical theory of games to the Hebrew Bible. Brams's thesis is that God and the human biblical characters acted rationally--that is, given their preferences and their knowledge of other players' preferences, they made strategy choices that led to the best attainable outcomes. Beginning with the Creation and focusing on those stories richest in conflict and intrigue, Brams uses elementary game-theoretic tools to elucidate the rational calculations of biblical players and to show precisely the manner in which they sought to achieve their goals. He relies almost exclusively on noncooperative theory, making use of both game tree and matrix forms of games. Brams uses his strategic analyses to build a detailed assessment of God's character and motivations, including the reasons for His frequently wrathful behavior. Brams's insights have application to biblical studies, the philosophy of religion, political theory, and game theory and methodology. In the new chapter, Brams surveys the literature of the past twenty years on political-strategic interpretations of the Hebrew Bible. He also extends the game-theoretic analysis, using the theory of moves, to study a counterfactual situation--what if Abraham had refused God's command to sacrifice Isaac?--and to examine the rationality of believing in a superior being.
3) EP & neuroeconomics: how thinking about the price of wine tweaks your brain's sensation of pleasure.
Basically, the researchers had their subjects lying flat on their backs in an fMRI scanner using computerized pumps to send different wines to their lips via a plastic tube as brain scans were performed. They gave the subjects a taste of 5 different Cabernet Sauvignons, but here's the twist as reported in their paper:
Unbeknown to the subjects, the critical manipulation was that there were only three different wines, and two of them (wines 1 and 2) were administered twice, one identified at a high price and one at a low price. For example, wine 2 was presented half of the time at $90, its retail price, and half of the time at $10. Thus, the task consisted of six trial types: $5 wine (wine 1), $10 wine (wine 2), $35 wine (wine 3), $45 wine (wine 1), $90 wine (wine 2), and neutral solution.
So wine 1 was given twice, once telling the subjects the real price ($5), then inflating the price 9x to $45. Wine 2 really costs $90, but was given a second time, and the subjects were told it was a $10 wine, or 9x less.
Basically, the researchers had their subjects lying flat on their backs in an fMRI scanner using computerized pumps to send different wines to their lips via a plastic tube as brain scans were performed. They gave the subjects a taste of 5 different Cabernet Sauvignons, but here's the twist as reported in their paper:
Unbeknown to the subjects, the critical manipulation was that there were only three different wines, and two of them (wines 1 and 2) were administered twice, one identified at a high price and one at a low price. For example, wine 2 was presented half of the time at $90, its retail price, and half of the time at $10. Thus, the task consisted of six trial types: $5 wine (wine 1), $10 wine (wine 2), $35 wine (wine 3), $45 wine (wine 1), $90 wine (wine 2), and neutral solution.
So wine 1 was given twice, once telling the subjects the real price ($5), then inflating the price 9x to $45. Wine 2 really costs $90, but was given a second time, and the subjects were told it was a $10 wine, or 9x less.
Just to take a step back, an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) imge lights up when an increase in blood flow occurs in any part of the brain. This is supposed to correlate with increased neural activity, since it is assumed that this creates a higher oxygen demand.
The authors conclude that while "[a] basic assumption in economics is that the experienced pleasantness (EP) from consuming a good depends only on its intrinsic properties and on the state of the individual," they can now offer the a neuronal basis for evaluating EP--a field which may be called neuroeconomics. This can be thought of as using the placebo effect to make the public think they're going more than they're paying for, but it also suggests a quantitative approach to study how perception can increase the EP and therefore the value of a product.
BTW, their gadget that lets you drink wine while lying down might be marketable, but I'd stay away from the $5 stuff.
Finalmente, les dejo con un paper (artículo cientifico) para reflexionar: los Chinos son oportunistas, empresarialmente hablando?
4) How Trust Reduces Transaction Costs and Enhances Performance in China's Businesses
Irene Hau-siu Chow, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Summary:
The article discusses the importance of the value of trust in the improving business performances in China. A survey conducted shows that almost 3,000 firms in the country believe that trustworthiness in business can lower their transaction costs because safeguards are not needed anymore, as well as it can also be a source of competitive advantage. However, it is noted that trust levels can only reduce the costs spent by companies but it does not give a significant impact on their profits due to the transitional economy of the country and differences between the rural and urban areas.
Finalmente, les dejo con un paper (artículo cientifico) para reflexionar: los Chinos son oportunistas, empresarialmente hablando?
4) How Trust Reduces Transaction Costs and Enhances Performance in China's Businesses
Irene Hau-siu Chow, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Summary:
The article discusses the importance of the value of trust in the improving business performances in China. A survey conducted shows that almost 3,000 firms in the country believe that trustworthiness in business can lower their transaction costs because safeguards are not needed anymore, as well as it can also be a source of competitive advantage. However, it is noted that trust levels can only reduce the costs spent by companies but it does not give a significant impact on their profits due to the transitional economy of the country and differences between the rural and urban areas.
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