Beyond Homo economicus: evidence from experimental economics

Environmental policies are generally based on a model of the human actor ta ken From neoclassical economic theory. This paper reports on laboratory exp eriments suggesting weaknesses in this model and describes alternative mode ls correcting these weaknesses. One finding is that economic actors tend to be hyperbolic as opposed to exponential discounters who discount the immed iate future at a higher rate than the more distant future. Another finding is that economic actors are not self-regarding, but rather in many circumst ances are strong reciprocators who come to strategic interactions with a pr opensity to cooperate, respond to cooperative behavior by maintaining or in creasing cooperation, and respond to free-riders by retaliating against the 'offenders', even at a personal cost, and even when there is no reasonable expectation that future personal gains will flow from such retaliation. We discuss some implications for policy analysis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.