This dissertation examines individuals’ actions to improve social outcomes when unrecoverable investments are necessary. Situations involving non-pecuniary and pecuniary investments are considered. In the former, the prerequisite of real effort - a non-pecuniary, unrecoverable investment - is examined when said effort determines an individual’s ability to procure their preferred social outcome. | Accounting undergraduate Honors theses: Essays in pro-social behavior University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 8-2014 Essays in Pro-social Behavior Joshua R. Foster University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Behavioral Economics Commons Recommended Citation Foster, Joshua R., "Essays in Pro-social Behavior" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 2228. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@, ccmiddle@. Essays in Pro-social Behavior Essays in Pro-social Behavior A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics by Joshua Foster Bentley University Bachelor of Science in Economics, 2009 August 2014 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. Professor Cary Deck Dissertation Director Professor Amy Farmer Professor Jeffrey Carpenter Committee Member Ex Officio Member Professor Salar Jahedi Committee Member ABSTRACT This dissertation examines individuals’ actions to improve social outcomes when unrecoverable investments are necessary. Situations involving non-pecuniary and pecuniary investments are considered. In the former, the prerequisite of real effort - a non-pecuniary, unrecoverable investment - is examined when said effort determines an individual’s ability to procure their preferred social outcome. Theoretical predictions over an individual’s effort provision are based on their revealed preferences for the social distribution of wealth according to the general axiom of .
