Publications

14 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 14

for set periods of experimentation (zones of time). By balancing transparency and privacy, organizations can encourage just the right amount of "deviance" to foster innovative behavior and boost productivity. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 19, 2010

PublicationsFeeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-interested Charitable Behavior Authors:L. Anik, L. B. Aknin, M. I. Norton, and E. W. Dunn Publication:In The Science of Giving:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2013
Article

Here's a Tip: Prosocial Gratuities Are Linked to Corruption

By: Magnus Thor Torfason, Francis J. Flynn and Daniella Kupor

We investigated the link between tipping, an altruistic act, and bribery, an immoral act. We found a positive relationship between these two seemingly unrelated behaviors, using archival cross-national data for 32 countries, and controlling for per capita GDP, income... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Crime and Corruption; Behavior

18 Nov 2008
First Look

First Look: November 18, 2008

Working PapersAn Exploration of the Japanese Slowdown during the 1990s Author:Diego A. Comin No abstract is available at this time. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-065.pdf (When) Are Religious People Nicer? Religious Salience and the 'Sunday... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

19 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

What Motivates People to Give Generously—and Why We Sometimes Don't

me when my public radio station uses it. What else do we know about how to positively influence people’s charitable behaviors? Zlatev: The role of self-interest in prosocial behaviors is a really interesting... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint, HBS Alumni Bulletin

11 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

When Parents Tell Kids to ‘Work Hard,’ Do They Send the Wrong Message?

children, the researchers say. “Parents can help their children recognize that the starting line is not the same for everyone, and they might have a head start as compared to others,” Whillans says. Another suggestion: Parents can make View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Education

18 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

What Is an "Essential" Purchase for a Low-Income Family?

the satire publication The Onion headlined, "Woman A Leading Authority On What Shouldn't Be In Poor People's Grocery Carts." This study's results could have implications for everything from social and economic policymaking to View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

24 Jul 2017
Research & Ideas

People Have an Irrational Need to Complete 'Sets' of Things

things incomplete” Do you want customers to refer more of their friends to your company’s website? Ask them to refer friends in arbitrary “batches” of five at a time. Looking to increase charitable giving to your nonprofit organization?... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

13 Oct 2015
First Look

October 13, 2015

contribution rates differ between employees hired before versus after the Roth introduction, which means that the amount of retirement consumption being purchased by 401(k) contributions increases after the Roth introduction. A survey experiment suggests two View Details

24 Jan 2011
HBS Case

Terror at the Taj

world's collective conscience. “Not even the senior managers could explain the behavior of these employees.” A new multimedia case by HBS professor Rohit Deshpandé offers a flip side to the nightmarish scenes that unfolded in real time on... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Accommodations

06 May 2013
Research & Ideas

How Local Events Shake Up Corporate Philanthropy

philanthropy because even global companies tend to focus corporate giving on local nonprofits. Charitable behavior is a key area of interest for Marquis, whose research and teaching focuses on businesses'... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

15 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

How Does a Social Startup Decide to Commercialize? It May Depend on the Founder's Gender

2016 Echoing Green Fellow Christine Su is co-founder and CEO of PastureMap. The for-profit software company helps sustainable ranchers record their grazing practices on mobile devices. (Photo courtesy of Echoing Green.) A division of labor has traditionally separated... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

15 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 15

and financing alternatives. Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/product/mission-produce/an/514023-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 914-025 Managing Global Health: Applying Behavioral Economics to Create Impact No abstract available.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2022
Working Paper

Motivated Errors

By: Christine L Exley and Judd B. Kessler

In three sets of experiments involving 5,432 subjects, we show that agents make more errors when doing so allows them to justify selfish behavior. We show that errors relating to addition arise when they can help to justify selfishness but are eliminated when selfish... View Details

Keywords: Information; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

SSRN

July – August 2008
Article

Help Employees Give Away Some of That Bonus

By: Michael I. Norton and Elizabeth W. Dunn

Employees who spend some or all of their bonuses on others-thereby creating what the authors call a "prosocial" workplace-are happier as a result. Managers can enhance that effect by providing opportunities to share the wealth. View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Behavior; Happiness

October 2012
Article

The Gifts We Keep on Giving: Documenting and Destigmatizing the Regifting Taboo

By: Gabrielle S. Adams, Francis J. Flynn and Michael I. Norton

Five studies investigate whether the practice of "regifting"-a social taboo-is as offensive to givers as regifters assume. Participants who imagined regifting thought that the original givers would be more offended than givers reported feeling, to such an extent that... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Attitudes; Behavior; Research