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We investigate social inequalities based on social background in the choice of the academic track among equally performing students, and how indicators derived from the rational choice framework contribute to account for such inequalities. We discuss the main theoretical concepts underpinning rational choice theory as applied to educational decisions: perceived costs, benefits, and risks of failure; relative risk aversion; and time-discounting preferences. In the empirical section, we use a unique dataset concerning the transition to different tracks in upper secondary school in a large Southern Italian region. By using various regression methods and the Karlson/Holm/Breen decomposition technique, we show that social inequalities in access to the academic track are considerable, even in recent cohorts, and that they are largely not explained by previous academic performance. Indicators linked to key concepts proposed by the rational choice theory—as measured in this study—account, as a whole, for 31% of the gap based on parental education, and for 40% of the gap based on parental occupation. The most important sources of inequalities among those this study examines are the expected benefits associated with the educational alternatives and the time-discounting preferences, while relative risk aversion and the perceived chances of success play negligible roles.

Emiliana Mangone's book is a largely successful attempt to provide a new perspective on the theory of altruism. She presents a comprehensive overview of the sociological interpretations of altruism and then offers her own version of the theory in the form of ethics of responsibility. There is certain ambiguity in her argumentation concerning the applicability of the rational choice theory to explaining and justifying altruism as a feasible and practically efficient idea. However, this uncertainty can be resolved in favor of rationality as an essential part of altruistic behavior. Altruism as an organized practice involving large groups necessarily includes rational deliberation as a key factor to its success. For instance, Elinor Ostrom uses the "prisoners' dilemma" framework in her analysis of how various communities across the world tried to deal with the common-pool resources problem. In successful cases, as her findings show, communities acted in the manner close to Mangone’s ethics of responsibility.

Purpose Although internet plus government platforms (IPGPs) are being increasingly used by citizens around the world, questions emerge regarding the public adoption, utilization and use of IPGPs. This study aims to explore the determinants of citizens’ differentiated IPGPs usage behaviors. Design/methodology/approach An analytical framework has been built upon the rational choice theory and the cultural dimension theory. The present study draws on a survey of 866 citizens from Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu. Findings The empirical findings suggest that the perceived functional benefits and personalization features both significantly affect citizens’ informational, service and participatory uses of IPGPs, to varying degrees. Furthermore, long-term orientation plays a moderating role in the relationship between perceived functional benefits and the service use of IPGPs. Originality/value The findings demonstrate that the public’s rational choice of a new digitalized service channel depends on to what extent and to what degree the absolute and relative benefits they consider important compare to other possible channels. Users also consider how the new service channel satisfies their personalized demands of digitalized services. Also, users’ long-term orientation can affect their rational choices by adjusting the perceived functional benefits of the channel when that channel is used for service transactions.

In a previously published article, I reported some tests of prospect theory's reflection effect over outcomes defined by money and life years gained from treatment. Those results suggested qualified support for the reflection effect over money outcomes and strong support over longevity outcomes. This article reruns those tests while accounting for the intensity of individual risk attitudes, and, overall, show consistency with the reflection effect. However, I argue that these results do not necessarily offer support for the explanatory power of prospect theory. Rather, the results may be driven by evolved responses to circumstances that provoke perceptions of scarcity and abundance. Therefore, from an ecological perspective, behavioral patterns such as those that are consistent with the reflection effect, which, by extension, tend to be considered as erroneous or biased by most behavioral economists because they conflict with the postulates of rational choice theory, may not be unreasonable. Recognizing as such is important when considering how behavioral insights ought to inform public policy design and implementation.

Starting from a behavioural-economics critique of standard rational choice theory Sugden seeks to restate the case for classical liberalism. That case has three strands: a refutation of libertarian...

The application of information and communications technology(ICT) in the education industry is becoming more and more extensive, and online education realized through ICT is developing in full swing. The influence of ICT on online education consumer's choice behavior is the core issue of online education industry development research. The research on the interactive path and methods of information and online education consumer choice behavior is worth exploring and revealing. This study introduces the word-of-mouth factor as a new research variable under the framework of the Rational Choice Theory model (RCT) and the structural equation method to conduct empirical research and theoretical analysis to verify the validity of the hypothesis and model. The fifth-Generation mobile communication system(5G) analyses the factors affecting online education consumer behavior choices based on the premise of ICT. Research on the path between ICT and choice behavior provides new ideas for online education consumer choice behavior research and ICT and content and provides a new scenario. This article is a cross-disciplinary research content in theory, and its innovation opens up a new path for the management of ICT research. The research results have innovative significance and value at both the theoretical and practical levels.

This paper explores the contestious dynamics of politics that occurred in the Singular Election. We examine how in a feud of actors involved interacting dynamically with each other. The phenomenon of a single candidate is considered as an anomaly in the function of political parties which appears as a form of pragmatism in addressing pairs of candidates which are electable too strong. The strategy adopted by political parties in the lead-up to the elections by forming a coalition became the easiest strategy to achieve victory in a multiparty political system. There are two approaches in the perspective of the rational choice theory that can explain the reasons for political parties to do coalitions, namely office-seeking and policy-seeking. The characteristics of the office-seeking coalition model are fluid, not permanent. This justifies a practical political adage that states that in politics there are no eternal friends or enemies, there are eternal interests. In the context of democratic coalitions that are built with office-seeking motives are considered very detrimental to the constituents. Political parties are considered to deny the constituents' trust by changing the alignments of coalitions that have the same platform to coalitions that have different platforms.

Purpose To help reduce the increasing number of information security breaches that are caused by insiders, past research has examined employee non-compliance with information security policy. However, existent studies have observed mixed results, which suggest that an interaction is likely to exist among the variables that explain employee non-compliance. In an effort to provide evidence for this possibility, this paper aims to better explain why employees routinely engage in non-compliant behaviors by examining the direct and interactive effects of employees’ perceived costs and rewards of compliance and non-compliance on their routinized non-compliant behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Based on rational choice theory, this study used 16 hypothetical scenarios in an experimental survey, collecting data from 326 respondents and analyzing them via structural equation modeling and a four-way factorial experiment. Findings The results suggest that routinized non-compliance of employees is more strongly influenced by the rewards than the costs they perceive in their non-compliance. Further, employees’ routinized non-compliance behavior was found to be positively influenced by an interactive effect of perceived rewards of compliance when their perceptions of their non-compliance costs and rewards were both high and low. Originality/value This paper’s key contribution is to suggest that non-compliance behavior is influenced by direct and interactive effects of perceived rewards of compliance and non-compliance.

The reference dependent preference plays a significant role in individual choice behavior. Introducing a third option which is asymmetrical dominated to the dominating option can influence one’s decision. The status quo, endowment and attraction or decoy effect are the main noises. Such noises are proof to counter the rational choice theory. This paper tries to observe the status quo and decoy effect. Existence of those two effects are examined in experimental observation with 32 respondents. Questionnaires are set for respondents to dig information about how their answers contain choices. Two and three varies alternatives are presented to see respondent choice feedback when a third inferior alternative is available. The result shows respondent tendency to switch options when status quo becomes a reference point.

Skeptics of rational choice theory have long predicted that behavioral economics would radically transform the legislation, adjudication, and analysis of law. Using tort law as an exemplar, this Article maps out the narrow set of conditions where substantive law can be modified to accommodate irrational decision-makers. Specifically, this Article demonstrates that if injurers are systematically biased, and the due care standard can be expressed quantitatively, and victims are unable to take meaningful precautions, then imposing punitive damages can induce irrational injurers to exercise efficient precautionary care. In all other cases, it is better that the law adopt a presumption of rationality, regardless whether individuals behave rationally in fact.

“I would prefer not” HERMAN MELVILLE, BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER: A STORY OF WALL STREET (1853), reprinted in THE PIAZZA TALES 32, 48 (London, Sampson Low, Son & Co. 1856). Scholars have recently challenged the claim in classical deterrence theory that law influences behavior only through the expected sanction imposed. Some go further and argue that law may also “shape preferences,” changing people’s wants and values. In this Article, we analyze existing claims that criminal and civil law alter preferences and conclude that none suggest that the law shapes preferences. We first clarify this preference-shaping claim by elaborating the structure of rational choice theory generally and “preference” in particular. We then investigate three mechanisms of legal influence suggested by the preference-shaping literature: (1) the “serious harm” mechanism; (2) the “social norm” mechanism; and (3) the “self-improvement” mechanism. We then show that each of these mechanisms operates by changing the agent’s beliefs about the attributes or consequences of her choice options rather than by changing her preferences.

“The fool hath said in his heart, there is no such thing as justice…” In Favor of Transcendental State. Several other Arguments in Dispute with Hobbes This paper is one of several articles focused on the theory of contract and the foundations of the modern liberal society. It is a continuation of the pervious paper: Why the Anglosaxon do not like Foucault? The text consists of two major parts. First is an analysis of a modern attempt to defend contractarianism by such authors as D. Gauthier, G. Kavka, J. Hampton, K. Hoekstra, M. Oakeschott, S.M. Brown and their argumentation, especially an attempt to interpret Hobbes in game theory categories. It is discredited as full of logical errors. In the second part, two new arguments against the theory of contract are introduced: (I) historical one – reality proved that human act rather conversely than Hobbes wanted them to, and (II) logical – based on the priority of mutuality rule as fundamental in human cognition.

Judgments are competent if they satisfy certain standards. Economists often view judgmental competence through the standard of rational self-interest. People’s failure to act in accordance with economic self-interest raises doubts whether people internalize this standard. We propose an alternative dual framework of judgmental competence, identifying reasonableness as a distinct and often prioritized standard, which emphasizes context-sensitive adjudication between self-protection and cooperation. According to our dual framework, both standards of self-interested rationality and socially-conscious reasonableness co-exist in the same culture and the same individual and can be activated based on situational demands. Evidence in support of the dual framework of judgmental competence comes from cultural-level analyses of implicit norms found in products and behavioral experiments (N = 5,830) involving economic dilemmas and everyday social transactions. Rational and reasonable standards involve distinct semantic networks in the world’s largest database of online news and TV sources such that rational choice is connected with protecting self-interest, whereas reasonable choice is connected to qualifying self-protective and moral choices by considering interpersonal and intertemporal contingencies. In experiments, selfish actions are viewed as more rational and fair actions are viewed as more reasonable. Rational persons are viewed as agentic but not communal, whereas reasonable persons are viewed as both agentic and communal. Thus, both standards entail competence but they differ in whether competent judgment is deployed exclusively for self-interested ends or balances self-interest with fairness. Moreover, based on situational demands both standards can be activated in the same individual to influence behavioral choices. The present research has implications for theory in economics and political sciences, as well as behavioral and social science models of judgment.

Neoclassical economists define rationality through choices that prioritize self-interest, whereas legal scholars define reasonableness through consideration of fairness and group norms. Have laypeople internalized either standard to guide their practical decision-making or are these distinctions merely of academic interest? Here, we explore folk standards of rationality and reasonableness, demonstrating a robust dissociation between expectations for rational and reasonable choice in seven experiments (N = 2,835) involving classic economic dilemmas and social transactions typical to daily life. Laypeople’s views for a rational choice are consistent with the idea of protecting self-interests. However, this rational choice deviates from their view of the reasonable choice. Moreover, a reasonable agent is preferred to represent opponent’s interests, whereas a rational agent is preferred to represent personal interests. We conclude that folk concept of rationality aligns with the notion of self-serving choice, yet this concept is not the sole standard guiding intuitive decision-making.

Judgments are competent if they satisfy certain standards. Economists often view judgmental competence through the standard of rational self-interest. People’s failure to act in accordance with economic self-interest raises doubts whether people internalize this standard. We propose an alternative dual framework of judgmental competence, identifying reasonableness as a distinct and often prioritized standard, which emphasizes context-sensitive adjudication between self-protection and cooperation. According to our dual framework, both standards of self-interested rationality and socially-conscious reasonableness co-exist in the same culture and the same individual and can be activated based on situational demands. Evidence in support of the dual framework of judgmental competence comes from cultural-level analyses of implicit norms found in products and behavioral experiments (N = 5,830) involving economic dilemmas and everyday social transactions. Rational and reasonable standards involve distinct semantic networks in the world’s largest database of online news and TV sources such that rational choice is connected with protecting self-interest, whereas reasonable choice is connected to qualifying self-protective and moral choices by considering interpersonal and intertemporal contingencies. In experiments, selfish actions are viewed as more rational and fair actions are viewed as more reasonable. Rational persons are viewed as agentic but not communal, whereas reasonable persons are viewed as both agentic and communal. Thus, both standards entail competence but they differ in whether competent judgment is deployed exclusively for self-interested ends or balances self-interest with fairness. Moreover, based on situational demands both standards can be activated in the same individual to influence behavioral choices. The present research has implications for theory in economics and political sciences, as well as behavioral and social science models of judgment.

Newcomb’s problem involves a decision-maker faced with a choice and a predictor forecasting this choice. The agents’ interaction seems to generate a choice dilemma once the decision-maker seeks to apply two basic principles of rational choice theory (RCT): maximize expected utility (MEU); adopt the dominant strategy (ADS). We review unsuccessful attempts at pacifying the dilemma by excluding Newcomb’s problem as an RCT-application, by restricting MEU and ADS, and by allowing for backward causation. A probability approach shows that Newcomb’s original problem-formulation lacks causal information. This makes it impossible to specify the probability structure of Newcomb’s univocally. Once missing information is added, Newcomb’s problem and RCT re-align, thus explaining Newcomb’s problem as a seeming dilemma. Building on Wolpert and Benford (Synthese 190(9):1637–1646, 2013), we supply additional details and offer a crucial correction to their formal proof.

How do criminal groups organize, operate, and govern in Denmark? We argue that organized crime groups face governance challenges in the form of principal-agent problems and transaction costs. Based on interviews with law enforcement officers, former gang members, and prisoners, we provide evidence for how people involved in crime respond to these organizational dilemmas. We find that the more severe the principal-agent problem, the more gangs vet possible members during recruitment. We also find that as transaction costs rise, people who are engaged in illicit activities that are more complicated will rely more on internal structure and centralization. Our findings support existing rational choice theories of criminal organizations.

This paper calls attention to the factors that contribute to predicting behavioral intention to cultivate medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in farmlands, as social-psychological and microeconomic features of the adopter and nonadopter farmers are compared. Against the previous studies that have established inductive-based hypotheses, this research, in turn, benefitted from a deductive-based approach (i.e., theory-driven) and recognized a knowledge gap of attitude-intention behavior and cost-benefit behavior in the case of the adoption of the cultivation of MAPs. Given the nature of the respective hypotheses, the study used a sample of 312 farmers, randomly clustered and selected from the rural areas of Sari and Maragheh Townships, Iran. The former is a leading site respecting the cultivation of MAPs (n1 = 89), and the latter is a less or underdeveloped region (n2 = 223). Respondents were asked to complete a self-implemented questionnaire, conceptually designed by the theory of planned behavior and rational choice theory and confirmed by Cronbach's alpha reliability method. Using the linear regression model, it was revealed that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and perceived costs are the drivers of intention. In contrast with the nonadopter farmers, adopter farmers have a more positive attitude (Hedges' g = 0.39), subjective norms (Hedges' g = 1.04), PBC (Hedges' g = 1.15), and intentions (Hedges' g = 0.93), as well as lower perceived costs (Hedges' g = 0.56). The study concluded that findings give insight to agricultural policymakers and extension agents in the field of promoting the cultivation of MAPs as a complement to conventional cropping patterns.

Objectives We examine how responsive offenders are to illegal monetary incentives. We draw from rational choice theory, prospect theory, and models of labor supply to develop expectations regarding the relationship between criminal efficiency, which is the average earnings per offense, and frequency of offending. Methods We use OLS, fixed effects, and first-difference estimators to analyze data from 152 incarcerated male inmates from Quebec, Canada to study within individual monthly changes in criminal efficiency and offending frequency. Results There is an inverse relationship between criminal efficiency and frequency of offending, net of individual fixed effects, for market crimes, but not property crimes. We also find that the supply of crime is inelastic, meaning it is not highly sensitive to illegal wage changes. Conclusions In the months that offenders have an average bigger pay-off per crime, they offended less frequently. We conjecture that this negative relationship could be explained by two mechanisms: an income effect and/or through reference dependence. However, we are not able to disentangle between the two mechanisms. Moreover, we note that criminal efficiency is likely endogenous and should be treated as such in future scholarship.

The aim of the research is to examine the extent to which performance information influences the voters’ behavior in the re-election of the ruling regional head. Based on information content theory and Rational Choice Theory empirically in analyzing the incumbent re-election relationship as the dependent variable, and financial performance variables consisting of financial independence, the level of budget absorption, and the ratio of debt to income.This research used quantitative research method with secondary data sources from 215 incumbents. Sample selection was purposive sampling. Data were analyzed by multiple linear analysis.Empirical results indicated that financial performance information on financial independence and budget absorption rates had a positive effect on re-election incumbent, the debt ratio had no effect. The results of this study were important because they can be a reference for incumbents to determine policies, for voters can be used as a basis for assessing the incumbent's performance before making a choice.

Purpose: In this study, this research aimed to find out the process of implementing the Hamis Batar rite and how it means for the people of Rabasahain Village. Research methodology: The approach used in this study is qualitative. The analysis in this study uses the Rational Choice Theory. Respondents were selected by purposive sampling. 6 respondents are consisting of Village Head, 1 Traditional Head and 4 ordinary people who are often involved in the implementation of the Hamis Batar Ritual. Results: The Hamis Batar ritual is a traditional event carried out by the Rabasahain community as a form of gratitude to the creators and ancestors for the harvest obtained and its implementation depending on the agreement of the Fukun, Katuas And Ferik of the traditional house, as well as the readiness of corn as an offering. Based on the research, it can be concluded that the Hamis Batar ritual is categorized as a rational activity because it is considered to have a function and purpose for society. Limitations: This research does not cover more details about the Hamis Batar Ritual. This research only focuses on explaining the process of the Hamis Batar Ritual in brief and showing the ritual as a rational activity. Contribution: This research becomes scientific information for social science and culture. Keywords: Rituals, Indigenous activities, Rational choice theory

The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the definition of populism as a political communication style and to the identification of the populist’s stylistic features and elements as a mode of persuasive communication that has been recently adopted by leaders of mainstream political parties. This research intends to explore how to measure the employment of the populist style of political communication. This research investigated to what extent this style was adopted by Hilary Clinton and David Cameron in their latest campaign discourses in 2016; comparing their speeches before and after the rise of the populist zeitgeist. Two main theories were applied the rational choice theory which describes how political actors apply a behavioral rule in by deciding what tools or techniques are used to reach to specific goals and purposes such as winning votes in elections and the theory of behavioral contagion explains why politicians would act in a populistic style consciously or even unconsciously.Quantitative content analysis was carried out to measure the intensity of populist communication. A purposive sampling was conducted in which speeches were selected five months before the voting day; one speech per month and speeches that contained controversial themes were selected for the sake of covering a diversity of issues and topics that are of people’s concerns. In total twenty speeches were analyzed, ten for Clinton (five from USPE in 2008 and another five from 2016). As for Cameron’s speeches five were selected from GE in 2010 and five other speeches from 2016 Brexit referendum elections. Both candidates have been influenced into adopting the populist communication style. The thesis proved that there is a positive correlation between the successful electoral performance of populist actors and the adoption of the populist style of communication by mainstream politicians in their campaign discourses.

Raymond Boudon (1934–2013) developed his own general theory of rationality as an extension and original synthesis of the work already provided by classical sociology and rational choice theory. To achieve this, he had to interpret and reinterpret many classical authors and schools of thought. One classical author that inspired Boudon’s theory was German sociologist Georg Simmel (1858–1918). The following article seeks to delineate the particular Simmelian influences that can be found in Raymond Boudon’s theoretical work.

The claim that rationality is ‘limited, falsified and unhelpful’ for explaining norms is false, for it does not apply to rationality as conceptualized by rational choice theory. Rationality as conceptualized by rational choice theory is not limited: it can be used to develop explanations of any observed human behavior. Rationality as conceptualized by rational choice theory has not been falsified: indeed, it is not falsifiable. Rationality as conceptualized by rational choice theory is not unhelpful for explaining norms: it is often used to develop explanations of observed norms, including norms that seem most puzzling. Rationality as conceptualized by rational choice theory provides a universal framework for developing explanations of human behavior.

PurposeThe paper addresses the puzzling phenomenon of the ubiquity of economic forecasting, of which property market forecasting is but one instance, on the one hand, and the unreliability of such forecasts, on the other hand. The paper explains why property market forecasts fail, in a non-trivial sense, and why this problem is irredeemable.Design/methodology/approachThis was a conceptual paper and was based on original thought and literature review.FindingsThis paper attributes the failure of property market forecasts to the inappropriate application of the methodology of the natural sciences to the social sciences by mainstream economics. Specifically, the problem is located in the positivist philosophy and the assumptions of methodological individualism and rational choice theory underlying neoclassical economic theory.Originality/valueThe paper makes an original contribution by clearly showing why and how the methodology of the natural sciences, especially physics, has been applied to economics and property market analysis, why this is inappropriate and why it leads to failure. The paper introduces a debate that has hitherto been mostly confined to philosophy and mainstream economics into the property or real estate discipline and in a manner that is accessible to a non-philosophy audience.

Is the act of making a decision a process or pulse? Critiques of rational choice theory and models often treat cognitive processes of preference ordering as part of the act of decision that should be incorporated into the models. The failure to account for human psychology, they argue, responds for RCT’s lack of predictability. However, this argument and the models of human mind, such as prospect theory, see decision as a process that begins at the cognitive considerations of preference ordering and extends up to the act of decision. In this paper, I argue that decision is analogous to a pulse rather than a process. I draw this analogy with the Dirac delta function, which in signal theory represents an unitary pulse. In the exact moment of making a decision, all preferences and contextual evaluations must have been already structured in the agent’s mind, otherwise she would not be capable of making the decision. Acknowledging the pulse-like nature of rational choice models allows modellers to eschew the incorporation of complex cognitive processes into their analyses, which has both theoretical and empirical implications to RCT’s representation of real-world phenomena.

The study was entitled "Social Capital as a Post-Earthquake Recovery Strategy in Gondang Village, Gangga District, North Lombok Regency." The impact of the earthquake not only resulted in damage to infrastructure and, residential buildings, and other social facilities, but earthquakes also result in psychological conditions and underdevelopment of socio-economic life, which is caused by the paralysis of all sectors of the people's line of life. This research is a qualitative research which aims to explain and find social capital owned by the community in the post-disaster recovery process in Gondang village, Gangga District, North Lombok Regency. The focus of this research is to find and identify forms of social capital in the village of Gondang, then how the form of social capital is used as a post-earthquake recovery strategy. This study aims to identify the forms of social capital, and find out the form of social capital as a post-earthquake recovery strategy. This study uses the theory and concept of social capital from James S. Coleman who was born from his rational choice theory. This research also uses qualitative methods using case studies, and data and information collection techniques using in-depth interviews, field observations and documentation results that contain photos, videos and other documents obtained from various parties. Activities in data analysis are data reduction, data presentation, approval / verification, and credibility The results showed the form of social capital in Gondang Village community consisting of beliefs, networks and norms. Community trust in religion, trust in government, trust in volunteers, and trust in community members. The formed network is a network originating from inside and outside the community, inside network is a relation from P3A and KWT, and network from outside is a relation from ACT. As well as the values and norms that are still implemented by the community, namely dead gawe and live gawe, as well as the subak and loving system. While the form of social capital is the result of traditions or customs in the form of sangkep, ngibukang, and nembakuh. As well as values and norms in the form of strong community ties and solidarity, which are the result of the application of inherent traditions or customs.

Although there is a plethora of research documenting the relationship between firearms and violence, we know little about the influence of offenders’ motivation and premeditation as they relate to the choice of weapon for the commission of a violent crime. In this study, we examined a sample of 375 violent crime inmates incarcerated in the New Jersey Department of Corrections. We addressed two research questions: what variables influence the use of a firearm in a violent crime, and do premeditation and motivation increase the odds that an offender will use a firearm in a violent crime? We found that premeditation and motivation are robust covariates of firearm use, which aligns with Rational Choice Theory; this suggests that firearms are used as tools to gain compliance and facilitate the commission of a crime. As a result, prevention strategies that focus on restricting access to firearms to at-risk populations and those that focus on interrupting the cycle of violence may help reduce firearm-related violence, particularly in premeditated events.

Internal branding is a key aspect of aligning employee behavior with the values of the organization and has been linked to employee engagement and customer satisfaction. The present research seeks to develop a theoretical framework that can guide the development of an effective internal branding strategy based on the rational choice and the social exchange theory. A literature review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies conducted in the last decade is used to accomplish this goal. The results of this study suggest that internal branding can significantly influence employee engagement and, consequently, customer satisfaction. In consonance with the rational choice and the social exchange theory, positive brand behaviors are predicted by psychological brand ownership, an organizational culture that discourages peer aggression, and an effective use of both tangible and intangible incentives. The current research suggests several future directions that researchers can undertake to advance internal branding knowledge and its impact on customer satisfaction. Research limitations and recommendations are discussed at the end of this paper.

This research examines the influence of key social movement theories – rational choice (as measured by interests), resource mobilization (RM), and political opportunity structures (POS) – in mobili...

There is an extensive critical literature analyzing the libertarian paternalism (LP) of Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. This paper is critical as well, but does so from a different perspective than most of the existing research. Thaler and Sunstein characterize LP by at least two key features: (1) a sharp distinction between Econs (those whose behavior will be unchanged by LP policies) and Humans (who will, at least potentially, change their behavior as a result of LP policies), and (2) defining Econs explicitly as homo economicus: “the textbook picture of human beings offered by economists” (Thaler and Sunstein in Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness. Penguin, London, p. 7, 2009). This paper will take their definition of Econs seriously and examine the implications for LP-based policies. The bottom line is that if we take Econs seriously, LP nudges end up being not only extremely weak policy tools, but they also fail to accommodate some of the most important insights of behavioral economics.

The political investors in the regional head election in Indonesia are an interesting phenomenon to be studied, as not all candidates for regional head, whether governors, regents, or mayors, have the capital to financially support their candidacy. Meanwhile, the nomination fee from has been increasing. For instance, in one of the regencies in Indonesia, the cost has reached 30 billion rupiah. This provides opportunities for regional head candidates to be financed by other people or business groups, known as political investors. This research was conducted to determine the extended role of political investors in regional head elections. This descriptive qualitative research collected data through in-depth interviews and observations as well as online and paper documents. The results showed that political investors play an essential role in enabling regional head candidates to win, and that they in turn benefited from the elections.

This paper provides my personal reflections on the development of economic methodology during the 21st century as well as a discussion of the methodological literature immediately preceding it. It is based on my experience – both as an editor and researcher within the field – and to some extent it reflects my own interests and concerns. It provides an interpretative history of the field and the various forces at work within it – doing so with a fairly broad brush, but at times focusing in and being much more specific.

Cybercrimes have an adverse impact on the reputation and economy of a nation. This paper investigates the factors that affect the frequency of cybercrime originating within a country. These factors...

Leeson (2020) objects to the conflation of economics with applied econometrics, and argues that economics instead should be thought of as the implications of the assumption that individuals maximize, i.e. rational choice theory. But, narrowly defining economics in terms of method demands that we ignore alternative theoretical frameworks which potentially hold explanatory power about topics thought of as economics, all for the sake of a definition. I suggest that applying rational choice theory and applying econometrics became the comparative advantage for economists relative to other social scientists by accidents of history. These comparative advantages largely persist. It is reasonable to call applications of both rational choice theory and econometrics to topics outside conventional economic topics ‘economics’ simply because these applications remain the comparative advantage of economists.

The purpose of economics of science is to research the ways concerning how to compensate the needs of individuals at the possible efficient level using existing plausible resources and basics of it had been found by a book which is entitled as “Wealth of Nations” written in 1776 by Adam Smith who is a philosopher of ethics. At that time; it was defended that the best way of compensating individual’s need is the rational behavior of human being and a great number of papers have been presented regarding this basic assumption. But the robustness of science of economics have been examining beginning from 1929; and an intense struggling has occurred to protect the validity of economics in the world of science via forming new ideas in economics, especially as bounded rationality. In this context; the paper provides information about behavioral economics, new constitutional economics, bounded rationality which are argued as alternatives of rational choice theory; including rationality assumption as well. Keywords: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, Psychology, Human Behavi

The rational choice theory holds that consumers will always choose the product with the maximum utility, while the context effect emphasizes that consumers’ choice will change with the change of the situation, and the rational decision is not always made. As a model of context effect, the compromise effect points out that when an extreme option is added to the selection set, the original option will become a compromise option and become more attractive. On the basis of a systematic review of the literature related to the compromise effect, this paper summarizes and prospects the compromise effect. First of all, this paper introduces the concept of the compromise effect, and the similarities and differences between the compromise effect, the context effect and the attraction effect. Secondly, this paper discusses the formation mechanism of compromise effect from the perspective of reason seeking, loss aversion and rational decision-making. Third, based on the literature review, this paper discusses the impact factors of the compromise effect. Finally, this paper puts forward the enlightenment of the compromise effect to the marketing practice, and points out the future research direction.

In the focus of the paper there are some basic insights and ideas of rational choice theory, that is the "core" of contemporary economic theory. Also, rational choice theory is the "center" of modern political science and is used in various other scientific disciplines, such as: sociology, philosophy, political science, psychology, and the like. There are two main goals of this paper. One is to point out the limitations of rational choice theory as one of the theories of economic behavior (and decision making). The second goal is to analyze certain problems detected during the application of the rational choice theory in economics and to adequately consider the importance of alternative concepts, models, and theories from the point of view of improving the understanding of economic, social, political, and other processes in the economy and society as a whole.

This paper claims that a conception that understands practical reasoning in terms of a maximizing instrumental rationality, as done by the Rational Choice Theory (RCT), is insufficient for the analysis of social power. Under the premise that action and power are tightly related concepts and taking rationality as a key category for understanding power exercises, the concept of power offered by RCT is revised, in order to expose its limitations. The paper concludes proposing that identifying RCT conceptual limitations opens a pathway of research that links the philosophy of action with literature about power. Este trabajo sostiene que una concepción del razonamiento práctico entendido como racionalidad instrumental maximizadora, propia de la Teoría de la Elección Racional (TER), resulta insuficiente para el análisis del poder social. Bajo la premisa según la cual acción y poder son conceptos estrechamente vinculados y tomando la racionalidad como categoría clave para entender los ejercicios de poder, se revisa la conceptualización del poder ofrecida por la TER en aras de evidenciar sus limitaciones. El trabajo concluye proponiendo que, identificando las deficiencias de las herramientas conceptuales propias de la TER, se abre una senda de investigación que conecte la filosofía de la acción y la literatura sobre el poder.

La teoría de la elección racional (en adelante TER), en tanto modo explicativo del operar de los seres humanos, se ha presentado a la comunidad profesional, intelectual, académica y política como una teoría explicativa de la conducta político-económica humana. A su vez, la comunidad referida parece haberla recibido de manera ingenua, es decir, sin problematizar una dimensión fundamental: su imagen de ser humano ni develar su carácter invasor o dominador. Se la acoge como si efectivamente presentara (y no representara) al ser humano tal y como este es en sociedad. Este trabajo se propone problematizar justamente esta imagen y develar las consecuencias que para la historización de la actividad política latinoamericana conlleva esta en tanto actividad colonizadora que anula la alteridad e impone un orden.

El Análisis económico-conductista del derecho examina las relaciones entre el derecho y las ciencias del comportamiento. Acepta la premisa de que el comportamiento humano puede predecirse; sin embargo, reemplaza los supuestos tradicionales de la teoría de la elección racional con predicciones alternativas, basadas en fenómenos de comportamiento bien documentados. En el contexto del derecho penal, el Análisis económico-conductista del derecho sostiene que el sistema jurídico debe utilizar los hallazgos de las ciencias del comportamiento para inducir a los individuos a actuar de manera socialmente deseable. Los autores examinan algunas objeciones a esta visión desde una perspectiva tanto pragmática como de principios. Por ejemplo, exploran la cuestión relativa a que el Análisis económico-conductista del derecho trata a las personas, no como agentes, sino como simples animales para ser domesticados; ello está en tensión con las premisas básicas del derecho penal. También plantean algunas inquietudes metodológicas. Por ejemplo, las predicciones conductistas a menudo son indeterminadas y dependen del contexto. De todos modos, los autores sostienen que a pesar de estas limitaciones, el Análisis económico-conductista del derecho debe utilizarse en el contexto del derecho penal y proporcionan ejemplos particulares de cómo podría contribuir a la efectividad de las normas penales.

This study aims to explore the factors that influence Asian student mobility using a life planning model, which focuses on students’ lifelong planning and restricting factors in decision making. As a result of macro data analysis of student mobility from six Asian source countries to eight major destinations from 1999 to 2017, the income gap between source country and destination country shows a negative correlation with student mobility, which supports the hypothesis that a decrease in budgetary constraints promotes study abroad. This finding is contrary to the assumption of the traditional push-and-pull model. This may be explained by the expansion of a middle-class population who are eager to send their children abroad whenever the budgetary constraint is lifted. Bilateral trade shows a positive correlation, which supports the hypothesis that prospect of employment, associated with economic connectedness, promotes study abroad.