Essays on behavioral economics and the effects of the colonial rule on Java

Abstract

This thesis consists of four chapters. While the first chapter is in the field of development economics, chapter two, three and four are in the field of behavioral economics using laboratory experiments. The first chapter analyzes the economic effects of the Dutch colonial rule on Java, Indonesia, with a special focus on female labor market outcomes. Chapter two, three and four have in common that they focus on how individuals access information when making decisions. In chapter two, the influence of additional information on the effectiveness of ethically certified goods on the purchasing decision of consumers is analyzed.Chapter three studies whether investment decisions differ between individuals and groups under two different environmental policy instruments. Finally, chapter four analyzes a situation where individuals might choose to ignore costless information in the setting of a finitely repeated prisoners’ dilemma game.