Date of Award

8-23-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline

Social Sciences

Department

Economics

First Advisor

Prof. HONG Fuhai

Second Advisor

Prof. WEI Lijia

Abstract

My PhD thesis comprises three studies. The first study examines prosocial behavior; the second analyzes vaccination behavior; and the third investigates communicative behavior in the context of trade. Specifically, the first study investigates the impact of donation visibility on individual prosocial behavior. It develops a sequential-move model based on the prosocial behavior framework proposed by Benabou and Tirole (2006). In Stage 1, individuals decide whether to attend a charity event, and if so, in Stage 2, decide on the amount to donate. In this model, an individual’s decision to engage in prosocial behavior is influenced by three main factors: intrinsic motivation to do good for others, the cost of prosocial behavior, and considerations of social image. The study finds that increasing the visibility of donations in Stage 2 can raise the average donation amount in that stage, but it also leads to more participants opting out in Stage 1. This, in turn, may result in a decrease in total donations.

The second study empirically examines how behavioral preferences—such as prosociality, risk tolerance, and omission bias—influence individuals’ decisions to take COVID-19 vaccines for themselves and their children. Vaccines are widely acknowledged as one of the most efficient and effective strategies for preventing infectious diseases. This study analyzes real-world vaccination behavior using a combination of incentivized experiments and survey data collected in three waves. The incorporation of these diverse methodologies is designed to enhance both the internal and external validity of this study. The results show that individuals with higher prosociality are more likely to receive the initial vaccine dose, a pattern consistent across both student and general population samples. In the context of parental decision-making, the study finds that greater risk tolerance and lower omission bias predict a higher likelihood of vaccinating children.

The third study is coauthored with my supervisor Professor HONG Fuhai. Historical accounts suggest that language evolves with the expansion of trade, particularly in the East-West encounters over recent centuries. In this context, this study experimentally examines how trade benefits influence the development of a common language between individuals with different linguistic backgrounds, using a communication game in a highly abstract trade context. First, laboratory evidence shows that when individuals with different languages communicate, effective information transmission occurs, leading to the emergence of a stable common language. More importantly, trade benefits significantly influence the emergent languages when two groups meet: the party that benefits more from the trade is more likely to adopt the language of the other. Moreover, trade gains encourage bilingualism, with those benefiting more being more likely to attain proficiency in both languages. Additionally, international trade could be one of the driving factors for people adopting a foreign language as their primary means of communication. The mechanisms behind this native language shift can be attributed to psychological and cognitive cost considerations. The third study provides new insights into how asymmetrical trade benefits shape the emergent languages when two groups with different language backgrounds interact.

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Guo, Y. (2025). Essays on economic behaviour (Doctoral thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/otd/248/

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