Lab measures of other-regarding preferences can predict some related on-the-job behavior: Evidence from a large scale field experiment

There is by now ample evidence from laboratory experiments that individuals exhibit "prosocial" or "other-regarding" preferences. However, a key question is whether the importance of other-regarding preferences documented in the laboratory can be readily generalized to draw conclusions about the importance of such preferences outside the laboratory, where markedly different conditions often apply (for instance, differences in stakes; differences in the level of anonymity and scrutiny; etc). In this paper we address this question by using a measure of costly cooperation elicited in a laboratory experiment to predict the cooperative behaviours that the same individuals exhibit in comparable, naturally-occurring, social situations outside the laboratory. In this Nottingham School of Economics working paper, Daniele Nosenzo and co-authors conducted laboratory experiments with 645 subjects at a trucker training program in the Midwestern US. The experiment use a version of the prisoner's dilemma game to measure subjects' preferences for cooperation. The authors observe the same subjects on the job for up to two years afterwards in two naturally-occurring choices - whether to send two types of satellite uplink messages from their trucks. The first identifies trailers requiring repair, which benefits fellow drivers, while the second benefits the experimenters by giving them some follow-up data. The authors find that individual differences in costly cooperation observed in the lab do predict individual differences in the field in the first choice but not the second. Daniele Nosenzo and co-authors suggest that this difference is linked to the difference in the social identities of the beneficiaries (fellow drivers versus experimenters), and conjecture that whether or not individual variations in pro-sociality generalize across settings may depend in part on this specific contextual factor: whether the social identities, and the relevant prescriptions (or norms) linked to them that are salient for subjects are appropriately parallel

Lab Measures of Other-Regarding Preferences Can Predict Some Related On-the-Job Behavior: Evidence from a Large Scale Field Experiment

We measure a specific form of other-regarding behavior, costly cooperation with an anonymous other, among 645 subjects at a trucker training program in the Midwestern US. Using subjects' second-mover strategy in a sequential form of the Prisoners' Dilemma, we categorize subjects as: Free Rider, Conditional Cooperator, and Unconditional Cooperator. We observe the subjects on the job for up to two years afterwards in two naturally-occurring choices – whether to send two types of satellite uplink messages from their trucks. The first identifies trailers requiring repair, which benefits fellow drivers, while the second benefits the experimenters by giving them some follow-up data. Because of the specific nature of the technology and job conditions (which we carefully review) each of these otherwise situationally similar field decisions represents an act of costly cooperation towards an anonymous other in a setting that does not admit of repeated-game or reputation-effect explanations. We find that individual differences in costly cooperation observed in the lab do predict individual differences in the field in the first choice but not the second. We suggest that this difference is linked to the difference in the social identities of the beneficiaries (fellow drivers versus experimenters), and we conjecture that whether or not individual variations in pro-sociality generalize across settings (whether in the lab or field) may depend in part on this specific contextual factor: whether the social identities, and the relevant prescriptions (or norms) linked to them that are salient for subjects (as in Akerlof and Kranton (2000); (2010)), are appropriately parallel

The ARGOS Gene Family Functions in a Negative Feedback Loop to Desensitize Plants to Ethylene

Ethylene plays critical roles in plant growth and development, including the regulation of cell expansion, senescence, and the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Elements of the initial signal transduction pathway have been determined, but we are still defining regulatory mechanisms by which the sensitivity of plants to ethylene is modulated. We report here that members of the ARGOS gene family of Arabidopsis, previously implicated in the regulation of plant growth and biomass, function as negative feedback regulators of ethylene signaling. Expression of all four members of the ARGOS family is induced by ethylene, but this induction is blocked in ethylene-insensitive mutants. The dose dependence for ethylene induction varies among the ARGOS family members, suggesting that they could modulate responses across a range of ethylene concentrations. GFP-fusions of ARGOS and ARL localize to the endoplasmic reticulum, the same subcellular location as the ethylene receptors and other initial components of the ethylene signaling pathway. Seedlings with increased expression of ARGOS family members exhibit reduced ethylene sensitivity based on physiological and molecular responses

An Experimental Study of Taxpayer Compliance Behavior Under Alternative Reporting Regimes

Underreporting of income is a costly problem for the government and for those people who do pay their taxes, due to the necessity of higher tax burdens to sustain a given amount of revenue. An extensive research report published by the IRS this year estimates that in the United States in 2006 the “tax gap” between paid taxes and legally owed taxes was $450 billion, which means 16.9 percent of total tax liabilities were evaded that year (Black et al., 2012). The IRS recovered$65 billion from late payments and audits, but that still left 14.5 percent noncompliance. Breaking the tax gap down into finer categories, the IRS finds that the vast majority (84 percent) comes from underreporting of income, most of that (62.5 percent) comes from individual income taxes, and most of that (52 percent) is small business proprietor’s income. This totals to 27 percent of noncompliance due to underreporting of individual proprietor income. It is estimated that 57 percent of business income is not reported (Black et al., 2012). Wages make up a small fraction of underreporting, mostly due to the fact that firms must report employee income directly to the IRS, and withholding is common, so a relatively disinterested third party makes the decision of how much income is reported (Slemrod, 2008). Slemrod emphasizes the importance of enforcement in compliance behavior, citing the fact that income subject to withholding and substantial information reporting (wages) has a 1 percent noncompliance rate, compared to 56 percent noncompliance for income with little or no information reporting requirements. Given the difficulty of identifying cheaters and the cost of increasing the rate of auditing, a better understanding of the determinants of noncompliance is needed 1 to reduce the magnitude of tax cheating. To address a part of the tax evasion quandary, Kalambokidis et al. (2012) conducted a laboratory experiment1 which was designed to examine the feasibility of using the choice between a high-burden,2 low-transparency and a low-burden, high-transparency tax regime, as a mechanism to separate out those who have higher and lower propensities to cheat when reporting their income. The results are the subject of this paper

Addressing Air Pollution in Ulaanbaatar and Evaluating Indoor Air Quality in Gers with Cooking, Heating, and Insulation Packages (CHIP)

Conducted by the nonprofit organization Breathe Mongolia—Clean Air Coalition, this study investigated ambient air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, focusing on the significant role of coal briquette combustion within ger areas. This combustion not only contributes to outdoor air pollution but also significantly degrades indoor air quality within these traditional dwellings, leading to substantial health concerns. To address this challenge, the study assessed indoor air pollution in gers—traditional Mongolian yurts—that had implemented Cooking, Heating, and Insulation Packages (CHIP), a program offering subsidized electrical heating, cooking, and insulation materials. The study encompassed 28 gers, among which 25 were equipped with CHIP while 3 were not, enabling a comparative analysis. Employing cost-effective technology, carbon monoxide levels were monitored across all 28 gers using Binary System monitors. Fine particulate matter concentrations were measured using AirVisual monitors in 14 of these gers. Data collection occurred during the winter of 2022–2023. To comprehensively assess indoor air quality within gers and ascertain the efficacy of interventions like CHIP in diminishing indoor air pollution, Breathe Mongolia intends to continue monitoring efforts within ger areas. These initiatives strive to address data gaps and inform strategies aimed at enhancing indoor air quality

The \u3cem\u3eARGOS\u3c/em\u3e gene family functions in a negative feedback loop to desensitize plants to ethylene

Background Ethylene plays critical roles in plant growth and development, including the regulation of cell expansion, senescence, and the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Elements of the initial signal transduction pathway have been determined, but we are still defining regulatory mechanisms by which the sensitivity of plants to ethylene is modulated. Results We report here that members of the ARGOS gene family of Arabidopsis, previously implicated in the regulation of plant growth and biomass, function as negative feedback regulators of ethylene signaling. Expression of all four members of theARGOS family is induced by ethylene, but this induction is blocked in ethylene-insensitive mutants. The dose dependence for ethylene induction varies among the ARGOS family members, suggesting that they could modulate responses across a range of ethylene concentrations. GFP-fusions of ARGOS and ARL localize to the endoplasmic reticulum, the same subcellular location as the ethylene receptors and other initial components of the ethylene signaling pathway. Seedlings with increased expression of ARGOS family members exhibit reduced ethylene sensitivity based on physiological and molecular responses. Conclusions These results support a model in which the ARGOS gene family functions as part of a negative feedback circuit to desensitize the plant to ethylene, thereby expanding the range of ethylene concentrations to which the plant can respond. These results also indicate that the effects of the ARGOS gene family on plant growth and biomass are mediated through effects on ethylene signal transduction

Nonadherence with Employer-Mandated Sleep Apnea Treatment and Increased Risk of Serious Truck Crashes.

Study objectivesTo evaluate the effect of an employer-mandated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) program on the risk of serious preventable truck crashes.MethodsData are from the first large-scale, employer-mandated program to screen, diagnose, and monitor OSA treatment adherence in the US trucking industry. A retrospective analysis of cohorts was constructed: polysomnogram-diagnosed drivers (OSA positive n = 1,613, OSA negative n = 403) were matched to control drivers unlikely to have OSA (n = 2,016) on two factors affecting crash risk, experience-at-hire and length of job tenure; tenure was matched on the date of each diagnosed driver's polysomnogram. Auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP) treatment was provided to all cases (i.e. OSA positive drivers); treatment adherence was objectively monitored. Cases were grouped by treatment adherence: "Full Adherence" (n = 682), "Partial Adherence" (n = 571), or "No Adherence" (n = 360). Preventable Department-of-Transportation-reportable crashes/100,000 miles were compared across study subgroups. Robustness was assessed.ResultsAfter the matching date, "No Adherence" cases had a preventable Department of Transportation-reportable crash rate that was fivefold greater (incidence rate ratio = 4.97, 95% confidence interval: 2.09, 10.63) than that of matched controls (0.070 versus 0.014 per 100,000 miles). The crash rate of "Full Adherence" cases was statistically similar to controls (incidence rate ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.48, 2.04; 0.014 per 100,000 miles).ConclusionsNontreatment-adherent OSA-positive drivers had a fivefold greater risk of serious preventable crashes, but were discharged or quit rapidly, being retained only one-third as long as other subjects. Thus, the mandated program removed risky nontreatment-adherent drivers and retained adherent drivers at the study firm. Current regulations allow nonadherent OSA cases to drive at another firm by keeping their diagnosis private.CommentaryA commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 961