Jonathan Stäbler

Research Interests:

My research lies at the intersection of experimental and behavioral economics and public economics. Broadly, I study how economic institutions shape individual behavior, how individuals process information and form beliefs, and how fairness perceptions influence economic decisions. Methodologically, I combine theoretical models with laboratory and online experiments, including experiments with representative samples. 

In particular, my research focuses on the following areas:

1. In my first research strand, I study how fraudulent and destructive behavior emerges in competition and how institutions can mitigate its adverse consequences. I examine sabotage, cheating, spiteful preferences, and motivated beliefs in contests, and investigate how institutional features such as information disclosure, fee-shifting rules, monitoring, and group size can reduce their welfare-destroying effects.

2. In my second research strand, I investigate how the actual and perceived role of merit in economic outcomes shapes redistribution and social cohesion. Related to this, I study how individuals process information and form beliefs, particularly when information is incomplete or biased, and how fairness perceptions and social norms influence behavior.

3. Beyond these two strands, I also study questions in public economics and institutional design, including how to manage excess demand for healthcare services and foster cooperation in repeated large-scale public goods games with limited local information.