people

Gary Charness

Gary Charness
Economics
UCSB
Professor

Professor Gary Charness specializes in experimental and behavioral research.  He has published his research in a wide variety of journals, including Econometrica, American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Economic Theory, Games and Economic Behavior, and Management Science.  He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in Economics from The University of California at Berkeley.  He joined the UCSB faculty in 2001.  Gary is on the editorial boards of 6 journals (American Economic Review, Management Science, Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of the European Economic Association, Experimental Economics, and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization) and is a frequent speaker at international conferences.  He is also affiliated with CESIfo in Munich and IZA in Bonn.

Grants, Awards and Distinctions:

UCSB Faculty Senate Grant. 2016 $8,600

Science of Philanthropy Initiative. 2014. $61,269

charness@econ.ucsb.edu
http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/~charness/
Education and Health
Sex and Gender

Publications

Gary Charness. (with Alessandro Sontuoso). 2023.
"The Doors of Perception: Theory and Evidence of Frame-Dependent Rationalizability."
American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 33(2), May, 2023, 309-344.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Alexander Cappelen, Mathias Ekström, Uri Gneezy, and Bertil Tungodden). Forthcoming.
"Exercise Improves Academic Performance. "
Forthcoming in Journal of Political Economy.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Nir Chemaya and Dario Trujano-Ochoa). 2023. 
"Learning Your Own Risk Preferences "
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 67, August, 2023, 1-19
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Xin Jiang). 2023. 
"Fortune and Identity. "
Economics Letters, 222, January, 2023, 110954.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Ramón Cobo-Reyes, Erik Eyster, Gabriel Katz, Ángela Sánchez, and Matthias Sutter). Forthcoming.
"Improving Healthy Eating in Children: Experimental Evidence. "
Forthcoming in European Economic Review).
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charnes. (with Daniela Grieco). 2023. 
"Creativity and Corporate Culture "
Economic Journal, 133, July, 2023, 1836-1870
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Francesco Feri, Miguel Meléndez-Jiménez, and Matthias Sutter. Forthcoming.
"Communication and (Non-) Equilibrium Selection. "
Forthcoming in Review of Economics and Statistics.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gary Charness (with Daniela Grieco). 2022.
"Creativity and Ambiguity Tolerance. "
Economics Letters, September, 2022, 110720.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Gary Charness (with Anya Samek and Jeroen van de Ven). 2022. 
" A Survey on Attitudes Towards Deception in Experimental Economics. "
Experimental Economics, 385, April, 2022, 385-412. 
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Gary Charness (with Lucas Reddinger and David I. Levine). Forthcoming. 
"Can targeted messages reduce COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy? Results from a survey experiment. "
Preventive Medicine Reports.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Gary Charness (with Wifag Adnan, K. Peren Arin, Juan A. Lacomba, and Francisco Lagos). 2022. 
"Which social categories matter to people: An experiment. "
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 193, January, 2022, 125-145.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Gary Charness (with Lien Dao and Olga Shurchkov. Forthcoming. 
"Competing Now and Then: Experimental Evidence. "
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Gary Charness (with Uri Gneezy and Vlasta Rasocha). 2021. 
"Experimental Methods: Eliciting Beliefs. "
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 189, September, 2021, 234-256.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Charness, Gary B. (with Dan Levin and David Schmeidler). 2019. 
"An Experimental Study of Estimation and Bidding in Common-Value Auctions with public information.” "
Journal of Economic Theory, 73-98. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary B. (with Michael Naef and Alessandro Sontuoso). 2019. 
"Opportunistic Conformism."
Journal of Economic Theory 100-134) 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, with Celia Blanco, Lara Ezquerra, and Ismael Rodriguez-Lara. Forthcoming. 
"Cheating and Money Manipulation. "
Experimental Economics.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, with Catherine Eckel, Uri Gneezy, and Agne Kajackaite. Forthcoming. 
"Complexity in Risk Elicitation May Affect the Conclusions: A Demonstration Using Gender Differences. "
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty.
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
Charness, Gary (with Michael Naef and Alessandro Sontuoso
"Opportunistic Conformism"
Journal of Economic Theory, 100-134. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Dan Levin and David Schmeidler)
"An Experimental Study of Estimation and Bidding in Common-Value Auctions with public information"
Journal of Economic Theory, 73-98
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, with Daniela Grieco. 2019.
"Creativity and Financial Incentives."
Journal of the European Economic Association. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, with Tibor Neugebauer. Forthcoming. 
"A Test of the Modigliani-Miller Invariance Theorem and Arbitrage Experimental Asset Markets."
Journal of Finance.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, with Catherine Eckel, Uri Gneezy, and Agne Kajackaite. Forthcoming. 
"Complexity in Risk Elicitation May Affect the Conclusions: A Demonstration Using Gender Differences."
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty.
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
Charness, Gary, with Chun-Lei Yang, Boyu Zhang, Jaimie Lien, and Cong Liu
"Endogenous reward promotes cooperation."
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(40), 9968-9973 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Garyand Greg DeAngelo. 2018.
"Law and Economics in the Laboratory"
Research Handbook on Behavioral Law and Economics.
Charness, Gary, with Uri Gneezy and Austin Henderson. 2018. 
"Experimental Methods: Measuring Effort in Economics Experiments"
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 149, May, 2018, 74-87.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Aldo Rustichini and Jeroen van de Ven. Forthcoming.
"Self Confidence and Strategic Behavior."
Experimental Economics.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Ramón Cobo-Reyes, Natalia Jiménez, Juan Lacomba, and Francisco Lagos). 2017.
"Renewable Dismissal Barriers, Job Security, and Long-term Investment."
European Economic Review, 95, June, 2017, 195-214.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Brianna Halladay). Forthcoming.
"Behavioral Economics and Experimental Economics: Cousins but not Twins."
Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Cherness, Gary (with Marie Claire Villeval). 2017.
"Preserving Rank as a Social Norm."
Nature Human Behaviour, 1(7), Article 0137, July, 2017.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Aleksandr Alekseev and Uri Gneezy). 2017.
"Experimental Methods: When and Why Contextual Instructions May be Important."
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 134, February, 2017, 48-59.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Patrick Holder). Forthcoming.
"Charity in the Laboratory: Matching, Competition, and Group Membership."
Management Science.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Chetan Dave). 2017.
"Confirmation Bias with Motivated Beliefs."
Games and Economic Behavior, 104, July, 2017, 1-23.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary,Ramón Cobo-Reyes, Juan Lacomba, Francisco Lagos, and Jose Maria Perez. 2016. 
"Social Comparisons in Wage Delegation: Experimental Evidence."
Experimental Economics. June 2016, 433-459.
Charness, Gary (with Matthew Ellman). 2016
"Choosing and Not Choosing with and without Communication: Experimental Results on Contract Design and Selection."
Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, 172, March, 2016, 142-157)
Charness, Gary (with Uri Gneezy and Brianna Sheets). 2016.
"Experimental Methods: Pay one or Pay All."
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 131, November, 2016, 141-150.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary,Jordi Brandts and Matthew Ellman. 2016. 
"Let's Talk: How Communication Affects Contract Design."
Journal of the European Economic Association. 943-974.
Charness, Gary (with Luca Rigotti and Aldo Rustichini). 2016.
"Social Surplus Determines Cooperation Rates in the One-shot Prisoner's Dilemma."
Games and Economic Behavior, 100, November, 2016, 113-124.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary (with Angelino Viceisza). 2016.
"Comprehension and Risk Elicitation in the Field: Evidence from Rural Senegal."
Review of Behavioral Economics, 3, July, 2016, 145-171
Charness, Gary (with Ramón Cobo-Reyes and Ángela Sánchez). 2016.
"The Effect of Charitable Giving on Workers’ Performance: Experimental evidence"
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 131, November, 2016, 61-74.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary,Till Gross and Chris Guo. 2015. 
"Merit Pay and Wage Compression with Productivity Differences and Uncertainty."
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 117, September, 2015, 233-247.
Charess, Gary and Arthur Schram. 2015. 
"Inducing Norms in Laboratory Allocation Choices."
Management Science. July 2015, 1531-1546.
Charness, Gary (with Ernst Fehr). 2015.
"From the Lab to the Real World."
Science, 30 October, 2015, 512-513.
Kelly Bedard (with Philip Babcock, Gary Charness, John Hartman, and Heather Royer). 2015. 
"Letting Down the Team? Evidence of Social Effects of Team Incentives."
The Journal of the European Economic Association. October 2015, 841-870.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary,Francesco Feri, Miguel Meléndez-Jiménez, and Matthias Sutter. 2014. 
"Experimental Games on Networks: Underpinnings of Behavior and Equilibrium Selection."
Econometrica.
Research Themes:
Biodemography and Evolution
Charness, Gary, David Masclet and Marie Claire Villeval. 
"Competitive Preferences and Status as an Incentive: Experimental Evidence."
Management Science, 60, January, 2014, 38-55. 
Charness, Gary and Valentin Shmidov. Forthcoming. 
"Trust and Reciprocity."
Foundations and Trends in Microeconomics.
Charness, Gary,Ramón Cobo- Reyes and Natalia Jiménez. 
"Identities, Selection, and Contributions in a Public-goods Game."
Games and Economic Behavior, 87, September, 2014, 322-338. 
Charness, Garyand Chun-Lei Yang. 
"Starting Small towards Voluntary Formation of Efficient Large Groups in Public Goods Provision."
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 102,June, 2014, 119-132. 
Research Themes:
Biodemography and Evolution
Charness, Gary, Battagali, Pierpaolo and Martin Dufwenberg. 2013. 
"Deception: The Role of Guilt. "
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization,  93, September, 2013, 227-232.
Charness, Gary, Uri Gneezy and Alex Imas.
"Experimental Methods: Eliciting Risk Preferences"
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 87, March, 2013, 43-51.
PDF
Charness, Gary, Edi Karnia, and Dan Levin.
"Ambiguity Attitudes: An Experimental Investigation"
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 46, February, 2013, 1-25.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
PDF
Charness, Gary, Gneezy, Uri, and Michael Kuhn. 2013. 
"Extra-Laboratory Experiments: Extending the Reach of Experimental Economics."
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 91, July, 2013, 93-100.
Charness, Gary, and Tsz Cheung.
"A Restaurant Experiment in Charitable Contributions"
Economics Letters, 119, April, 2013, 48-49.
PDF
Charness, Gary, Du, Ninghua, Chun-Lei Yang, Lan Yao. 2013. 
"Promises in Contract Design."
European Economic Review, 64, November, 2013, 194-208.
Charness, Gary, and Greg DeAngelo.
"Deterrence, Expected Cost, Uncertainty and Voting: Experimental Evidence"
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 44, February 2012, 73-100. 2012.
PDF
Charness, Gary and Roger Jahnke.
"A Group-based Wellness Intervention in the Laboratory"
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 12, March 2012.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Charness, Gary, Uri Gneezy and Michael Kuhn
"Experimental Methods: Between-subject and Within-subject Design"
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 81, January, 2012, 1-8
Charness, Gary, Ramón Cobo-Reyes, Natalia Jiménez, Juan Lacomba, and Francisco Lagos.
"The Hidden Advantage of Delegation: Pareto-improvements in a Gift-exchange Game"
American Economic Review, 102, August, 2012, 2358-2379.
PDF
Charness, Gary, and Matthias Sutter.
"Groups make Better Self-Interested Decisions"
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26, Summer, 2012, 157-176. 2012
PDF
Charness, Gary and Uri Gneezy.
"Strong Evidence for Gender Differences in Risk-taking"
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 83, June 2012, 50-58.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Charness, Gary. 2012. 
"Communication in Bargaining Experiments"
Handbook of Conflict Resolution.
Du, Ninghua, Gary Charness, and Chun-Lei Yang
"Trust and Trustworthiness Reputations in an Investment Game"
Games and Economic Behavior, 72, June, 2011, 361-375
Charness, Gary, and Peter Kuhn.
"Lab Labor: What Can Labor Economists Learn in the Lab?"
Handbook of Labor Economics, Volume 4a, February, 2011, 229-330
PDF
Charness, Gary, Peter Kuhn and Marie Claire Villeval.
"Competition and the Ratchet Effect"
Journal of Labor Economics, 29, July, 2011, 513-547
PDF
Charness, Gary, and Aldo Rustichini 
"Gender Differences in Cooperation with Group Membership"
Games and Economic Behavior, 72, May, 2011, 77-85
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Charness, Gary and Martin Dufwenberg
"Participation"
American Economic Review, 101, June, 2011, 1211-1237
Brandts, Jordi, and Gary Charness
"The Strategy versus the Direct-response Method: A First Survey of Experimental Comparisons"
Experimental Economics, 14, September, 2011, 375-398