DR@W
DR@W
Decision Research at Warwick (DR@W) is an interdisciplinary initiative which focuses on behavioural and experimental research of decision making.
Formed in January 2010, DR@W brings together researchers and students from Economics, Psychology, Statistics, Warwick Mathematics Institute, Warwick Manufacturing Group and Warwick Business School that are interested in current developments in the area of experimental and behavioural research.
The Department of Economics have created and manage a large computer laboratory for use with experiments.
Visit the Decision Research at Warwick website for further details.
DR@W Forum - Hande Erkut (WZB Berlin)
Understanding Repugnance: Agency, Consequences, and the Role of Evaluators
Feelings of repugnance constrain market design since certain transactions are considered unacceptable, e.g., selling a kidney or surrogacy. Understanding the causes of repugnance is therefore essential. In two experimental studies, we investigate how agency, the severity of consequences, and the evaluator's role shape repugnance judgments. We find that all actors—spectators and stakeholders —are more likely to prohibit transactions when one party lacks agency. Spectators and those stakeholders who are more vulnerable are more sensitive to the severity of consequences, being more likely to prohibit transactions when consequences are severe rather than mild. In contrast, advantaged stakeholders do not differentiate between mild and severe consequences and are overall more accepting. These findings highlight how repugnance is shaped by both the features of the transaction and the evaluator’s role. Enhancing agency—particularly for vulnerable parties—may reduce repugnance and align attitudes across groups.