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Experimental Economics Program

We are now RECRUITING SUBJECTS for experiments during the fall. Subjects are paid for their time and the decisions which they make during the experiment. If you would like to receive announcements for upcoming experiments, please click here.

News

New Cleve E. Willis Experimental Lab Opening.

Photo of Experimental Economics Lab Named in honor of the retiring Dean of the College of Natural Resources and the Environment and former chair of the Department of Resource Economics, the Cleve E. Willis Experimental Economics Laboratory was opened officially on May 2, 2007. Operation of the lab is supported by The Cleve E. Willis Experimental Economics Laboratory Fund. For more on the Willis Lab and Endowment, click here.

Experimental Economics Faculty

Photo of Christian RojasChristian Rojas
Industrial Organization, Applied Microeconomics and Experimental Economics
Photo of John SpraggonJohn Spraggon
Applied Microeconomics, Experimental, Environmental, and Labor Economics

 

 

Photo of Tom StevensThomas H. Stevens
Natural Resource Economics
Photo of John StranlundJohn K. Stranlund
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

Experimental Economics Adjunct Faculty

Photo of Juan Camilo CardenasJuan Camilo Cardenas
Universidad de los Andes
Colombia

Photo of Jeff CarpenterJeffrey P. Carpenter
Middlebury College
Vermont

 

 

Photo of James MurphyJames J. Murphy
University of Alaska
Anchorage

 

Recent Publications

Velez, Maria Alejandra; John K. Stranlund and James J. Murphy. 2009. “What Motivates Common Pool Resource Users? Experimental Evidence from the Field.” Forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. Published online January 22, 2009.

Spraggon, John and Robert J. Oxoby. 2008. “Game Theory for Playing Games: Participant Sophistication in a Negative Externality Experiment.” Forthcoming in Economic Inquiry.

Velez, Maria Alejandra; James J. Murphy, and John K. Stranlund. 2008. “Centralized and Decentralized Management of Local Common Pool Resources in the Developing World: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia.” Forthcoming in Economic Inquiry. Published online April 17, 2008.

Oxoby, Robert, J. and John M. Spraggon. 2008. “Mine and Yours: Property Rights in Dictator Games.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 65, 703-713.

Atin Basuchoudhary, Chris Metcalf, Kai Pommerenke, David Reiley, Christian Rojas, Marzena Rostek and James Stodder. 2008. “Price Discrimination and Resale: A Classroom Experiment.” Journal of Economic Education 40, 229-244.

Oxoby, Robert J. and John M. Spraggon. 2008. “The Effects of Recommended Play on Compliance with Ambient Pollution Targeting Instruments.” Experimental Methods, Environmental Economics, Todd L. Cherry, Stephan Kroll and Jason F. Shogren, (Eds.), Routledge Publishing.

Murphy, James J. and John K. Stranlund. 2008. “An Investigation of Voluntary Discovery and Disclosure of Environmental Violations Using Laboratory Experiments.” Experimental Methods in Environmental Economics. Todd Cherry, Jason Shogren and Stephan Kroll (eds.), Routledge Publishing.

Murphy, James J. and John K. Stranlund. 2007. “A Laboratory Investigation of Compliance Behavior under Tradable Emissions Rights: Implications for Targeted Enforcement.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 53(2), 196-212.

Eckel, Catherine, Kate Johnson, Claude Montmarquette and Christian Rojas. 2007. “Debt Aversion and the Demand for Loans for Post-Secondary Education.” Public Finance Review, 35, 233-62.

Murphy, James J. and John K. Stranlund. 2006. “Direct and Market Effects of Enforcing Emissions Trading Programs: An Experimental Analysis.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 61(2), 217-233.

Sheryl Ball, Catherine Eckel and Christian Rojas. 2006. “Technology Improves Learning in Large Principles of Economics Classes: Using our WITS.” American Economic Review (Papers and Proceedings), 96, 2, 442-6.

Murphy, James J., Thomas H. Stevens and Darryl Weatherhead. 2005. “Is Cheap Talk Effective at Eliminating Hypothetical Bias in a Provision Point Mechanism?” Environmental and Resource Economics, 30(3):327–343.

Spraggon, John M. 2004. “Individual Decision Making in Exogenous Targeting Instrument Experiments.” Experimental Economics, 7, 249-269.

Spraggon, John M. 2004 . “Testing Ambient Pollution Instruments with Heterogeneous Agents.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management , 48, 837-856.

Murphy, James J. and Thomas H. Stevens. 2004. “Contingent Valuation, Hypothetical Bias and Experimental Economics.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 33(2):182–192.

Recent Working Papers

(Contact authors for latest version)

Lopez, Maria Claudia; James J. Murphy, John M. Spraggon  and John K. Stranlund. 2009. “Comparing the Effectiveness of Regulation and Pro-Social Emotions to Enhance Cooperation: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia.”

McEvoy, David; James J. Murphy, John M. Spraggon and John K. Stranlund. 2008. “The Problem of Maintaining Compliance in Stable Coalitions.”

Moeltner, Klaus; James J. Murphy, John K. Stranlund, and Maria Alejandra Velez. 2008. “Analyzing Data from Social Dilemma Experiments: A Bayesian Comparison of Parametric Estimators.”

Oxoby, Robert J. and John Spraggon. 2008. “A Clear and Present Minority: Heterogeneity in the source of endowments and the provision of public goods.”

Moeltner, Klaus; James J. Murphy, John K. Stranlund, and Maria Alejandra Velez. 2008. “Institutional Heterogeneity in Social Dilemma Games: A Bayesian Examination.”

Stranlund, John K., James J. Murphy and John M. Spraggon. 2008.  “Imperfect Enforcement of Emissions Trading and Industry Welfare: A Laboratory Investigation.”

Lopez, Maria Claudia; James J. Murphy, John M. Spraggon and John K. Stranlund. 2008.  “Does Government Regulation Complement Existing Community Efforts to Support Cooperation? Evidence from Field Experiments in Colombia.”

Rojas, Christian. 2008. The Role of Information and Monitoring on Collusion.

Angela de Oliveira, Catherine Eckel, Philip Grossman, Cathleen Johnson, Christian Rojas and Rick Wilson. 2008. "Social Norms of Sharing in High School: Teen Student Giving in the Dictator Game."

Dave, Chetan., Catherine Eckel, Kate Johnson and Christian Rojas. 2008. "Eliciting Risk Preferences: When is Simple Better?"

Spraggon, John. 2008. "The Impact of Information and Cost Heterogeneity on Firm Behavior under an Ambient Tax/Subsidy Instrument." 

Spraggon, John and Robert J. Oxoby. 2008. "Ambient-Based Policy Instruments: The Role of Recommendations and Presentation."

Spraggon, John and Robert J. Oxoby. 2009.  "An Experimental Investigation of Endowment Source Heterogeneity in Two-Person Public Good Games."  Forthcoming in Economics Letters.

Recent Grants

Stranlund, John K. (PI), James Murphy, John Spraggon, Timothy Cason, Vernon Smith, Stephen Rassenti, David Porter. “Experimental Testbeds for New Applications of Environmental Trading Programs.” U. S. Environmental Protection Agency—Science to Achieve Results. 2008-2010. $987,125.

Murphy, James J. and John K. Stranlund. “A Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Voluntary Approaches to Environmental Protection.” University of Massachusetts Center for Public Policy and Administration, Faculty Development Grant. 2006-2007. $7,500.

Sheryl Ball (PI) and Christian Rojas. National Science Foundation: Grant SES-0526229: “The Role of Information and Monitoring on Cartel Stability: An Experimental Assessment,” 2005-2007. $5,500.

Stranlund, John (PI) and James Murphy. “Economic and Policy Analysis of Local Governance in Latin America.” U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 2003-2006. $120,000.

Spraggon, John (PI). “Enforcement in Markets for Tradable Emission Permits.” Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Standard Research Grant 410-2002-0632, 2002-2005, $82,458.

Murphy, James (PI) and John Stranlund. “An Investigation of Compliance Behavior and Enforcement of Emissions Trading Programs Using Laboratory Experiments.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—Science to Achieve Results. 2002-2005. $228,000.

Dissertations

Maria Claudia Lopez. Currently Post-Doctoral Fellow, Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University. Ph.D Dissertation: Internal, External, and Dual Enforcement to Enhance Conservation of Local Natural Resources: Experimental Evidence from the Field. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Defended November 2007. Major Advisor: John K. Stranlund.

David M. McEvoy. Currently Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University. Ph.D Dissertation: Enforcing Voluntary Agreements for Environmental Protection: A Theoretical and Experimental Analysis. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Defended August 2007. Major Advisor: John K. Stranlund.

Lava Yadav. Ph.D Dissertation: Hypothetical Bias in Contingent Valuations. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Defended April 2007. Major Advisor: Thomas H. Stevens.

Maria Alejandra Velez. Currently Assistant Professor, Facultad de Administración, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. Ph.D Dissertation: Three Essays on the Determinants of Behavior in the Commons: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Defended April 2006. Major Advisor: John K. Stranlund.
http://administracion.uniandes.edu.co/profesores/planta/velez_lesmes_maria_alejandra