Francesco Bogliacino

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at National University of Colombia

In Dictator Games, we manipulate whether the endowment is randomly assigned or earned by the dictator or the recipient, in a conceptual replication of Oxoby and Spraggon (2008) and Cherry et al. (2002). Our experimental sample comes from Bogota (Colombia). The experiments introduced performance thresholds based on Cherry et al. (2002), creating low...

We measure normative expectations in dictator games and naturally occurring vignettes using the norm-elicitation procedure based on coordination games (Krupka & Weber, 2013). We test a five-item scale, allowing subjects to report "neither socially appropriate nor inappropriate" behavior. In principle, this category is better suited to identify hete...

We study why suffering a negative economic shock, i.e., a significant loss, may trigger a change in other-regarding behavior. We conjecture that people trade off concern for money with a conditional preference to follow social norms and that suffering a shock makes extrinsic motivation more salient, leading to more norm violation. This hypothesis i...

We analyze and compare three methods of measuring norms: the Krupka and Weber (KW) coordination game, the two-step approach by Bicchieri and Xiao (BX), and a novel Binarized Scoring Method (BSM) we introduce that elicits the full distribution of normative beliefs. We test their effectiveness in two distinctive ways. First, we compare the fit and pr...

This article introduces the transaction test, a novel experimental method to detect whether deceptive designs (known as dark patterns) induce choices that are inconsistent with individual preferences. In a highly powered online experiment, we assess three dark patterns and one transparency-based remedy in decisions involving data protection. Compar...

In this study, we estimate the effect of a negative labour market shock on individuals’ levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. We use a dataset collected during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, on a representative sample of citizens from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, interviewed on three occasions. We measure stress, anxiety and...

Commercial practices such as drip pricing, reference pricing and best-price guarantee can be used to set higher prices and mislead consumers, but protective measures can restore efficiency. In a placebo-controlled market experiment, we examined a treatment allowing for the use and misuse of commercial practices. Three additional treatments tested t...

We assess the impact on trust and trustworthiness of a governmental program to compensate victims of forced displacement. All our subjects were eligible to apply for restitution of their land in accordance with the 2011 “Bill of Victims” issued by the Colombian government. The key independent variable of our analysis is whether a subject had obtain...

In this study, we estimate the effect of a negative labour market shock on individuals’ levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. We use a dataset collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, on a representative sample of citizens from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, interviewed on three occasions. We measure stress, anxiety and...

This paper is about why suffering a Negative Economic Shock, i.e. a large loss, may trigger a change in behavior. We conjecture that people trade off a concern for money with a conditional preference to follow social norms, and that suffering a shock makes the first motivation more salient, leading to more norm violation. We study this question exp...

The gift exchange hypothesis postulates that workers reciprocate above market-clearing wages with above-minimum effort. This hypothesis has received mixed support in dyadic employer-worker relationships. We present a field-experimental test to assess this hypothesis in the context of a triadic relationship in which only one out of two workers recei...

In this article, we examine the expectations of the economic outlook, fear of the future, and behavioural change during the first Covid-19 wave, for three European countries (Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy) that have been severely hit. We use a novel dataset that we collected to monitor the three countries during the crisis. As outcome variab...

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, households throughout the world have to cope with negative shocks. Previous research has shown that negative shocks impair cognitive function and change risk, time and social preferences. In this study, we analyze the results of a longitudinal multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N = 1652), Spain...

During a pandemic, the government requires active compliance by citizens. While these demands can be enforced with rewards and punishments, legitimacy allows the government to achieve the same results with greater cost effectiveness. The way in which a government can acquire substantive legitimacy depends on how it communicates and justifies its de...

During a pandemic, the government requires active compliance by citizens. While these demands can be enforced with rewards and punishments, legitimacy allows the government to achieve the same results with greater cost effectiveness. In this article, we measure revealed legitimacy through support of three potential mitigation strategies against Cov...

Many different countries have been under lockdown or extreme social distancing measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The potentially far-reaching side effects of these measures have not yet been fully understood. In this study we analyse the results of a multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N = 3,504), Spain (N = 3,524) and the United Kin...

Households are frequently subject to income and asset shocks. We performed a lab experiment, inducing losses on a real effort task, after which we measured cognitive performance, loss aversion and cheating behavior. We found that asset losses, but not income losses, act as a cognitive load, by decreasing accuracy and increasing response times. We d...

We study the effects of psychological trauma and negative economic shocks on pro-social behavior in victims of violence in Colombia’s capital. Trauma positively affects pro-sociality in a first experiment, with a (randomly administered) recall of fearful situations having differential effects on people highly or lowly exposed to violence. This effe...

Households are frequently subject to income and asset shocks. We performed a lab experiment, inducing losses on a real effort task, after which we measured cognitive performance, loss aversion and cheating behavior. We found that asset losses, but not income losses, act as a cognitive load, by decreasing accuracy and increasing response times. We d...

Currently, unprecedented series of events are taking place that affect the institutional structure of the world economy and the social fabric of our societies. In this article, we examine the expectations of the economic outlook, fear of the future, and behavioural change during the lockdown, for three European countries (Spain, the United Kingdom,...

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, households throughout the world have to cope with negative shocks, either because of the disease or the various mitigation strategies that have caused massive unemployment and financial insecurity. Previous research has shown that negative shocks impair cognitive function and change risk, time and so...

Currently, many different countries are under lockdown or extreme social distancing measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The potentially far-reaching side effects of these measures have not yet been fully understood. In this study we analyse the results of a multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N=3,504), Spain (N=3,524) and the United Ki...

This critical and scoping review essay analyzes digital labor markets where laborintensive services are traded by matching requesters (employers and/or consumers) and providers (workers). It first discusses up to what extent labor platform can be treated as two-sided or multi-sided markets, and the implications of these classifications. It then mov...

This critical and scoping review essay analyses digital labour markets where labour-intensive services are traded by matching requesters (employers and/or consumers) and providers (workers). It first discusses to what extent labour platform can be treated as two-sided or multi-sided markets, and the implications of these classifications. It then mo...

In this paper, we develop a framework to analyze the relationship between evidence and policy. Postulating a normative criterion based on cost–benefit analysis and the value of a piece of information, as well as a topology of the policy space defined by three characteristics (epistemic uncertainty, interests, and the degree of value conflicts), we...

The paper analyses the evolution of inequality for the largest economies of the Latin American region in the 21st century, with separate consideration of income and wealth. The drivers of changes in inequality and possible underlying causes are examined, including the role of the new wave of leftist governments. The evidence reveals that income in...

Scienza in vendita analizza il rapporto tra decisioni politiche ed evidenza empirica nella definizione delle politiche pubbliche. È un libro che parla di narrazioni e di retoriche, ma non sceglie la strada della critica post-moderna. Cerca, piuttosto, di uscire dalla gabbia delle opposte narrative in conflitto, per cercare di decostruirne le retori...

In this study, we test the hypothesis that the Colombian system of socioeconomic stratification (SES), which ranks dwellings from one to six to calculate utility (public services) rates, may induce discrimination. To this end, a field experiment with around 1000 participants from Bogotá is carried out. The design includes a combination of a trust g...

The article discusses whether and to what extent experiments can contribute to a research paradigm based on the study of human behaviour in complex evolving environments and on the problem of asymmetric adjustment among different components of economic system along certain trajectories, focusing on the possibility that experimental evidence may rep...

EL RETORNO DE UN TEMALa desigualdad ha vuelto a ser objeto central del análisis económico. La afirmación de Lucas (2004), según la cual la atención a las cuestiones distributivas sería venenosa para la profesión, ya no refleja el sentimiento dominante. El éxito de Stiglitz (2012), Atkinson (2015), Milanovic (2016) y, por supuesto, Piketty (2014), s...

In this article we extend the model developed by Bogliacino and Pianta (Indus Corp Change 22:649, 2013) on the link between R&D, innovation and economic performance, considering the impact of innovation on export success. We develop a simultaneous three equation model in order to investigate the existence of a ‘virtuous circle’ between industries’...

Significance Research on violence has mainly focused on its consequences on individuals’ health and behavior. This study establishes the effects of exposure to violence on individuals’ short-term memory and cognitive control. These are key factors affecting individual well-being and societal development. We sampled Colombian civilians who were expo...

This article explores the impact of innovation, offshoring and demand on profits and wage dynamics. Empirical analysis is performed on a panel of 37 industries (1995–2010) across five European countries. Our identification strategy relies on instrumental variables and recently proposed heteroskedasticity-based instruments. Additionally, we perform...

Este artículo analiza la integración monetaria europea, los determinantes estructurales y los elementos disfuncionales de las instituciones de la Unión. Además, revisa dos lecturas que fallan al interpretar los acontecimientos: una interpretación ideológica que ve en la integración un proceso de convergencia que no se debe interferir, y una visión...

Il saggio analizza la (perdurante) crisi dell’Eurozona (Ez) mettendo in luce le connessioni tra la crisi stessa e le istituzioni che regolano il funzionamento dell’area. Vengono identificati gli elementi che, sin dalle origini, hanno reso l’Ez incline alla generazione di divergenza, instabilità e crisi. Inoltre, viene proposta un’interpretazione de...

The weight of evidence points to the advertising of food affecting food consumption, especially among children. Such advertising often promotes unhealthy foods. Current policy deliberations focus on developing effective ‘protective’ messages to increase advertising literacy and consequent scepticism about advertising targeting children. This study...

Sempre più spesso i Governi approvano politiche ispirate alla teoria del nudge (o “spintarella”), che suggerisce di indirizzare il comportamento degli individui ricorrendo ad accorgimenti di contesto, piuttosto che a pesanti regolamentazioni e divieti. Questo approccio nasce dalla constatazione che spesso gli individui non scelgono razionalmente, m...

This article investigates the “virtuous circle” between innovative inputs, outputs, and economic performance with a three-equation model highlighting feedback loops and simultaneous relations. An empirical test is conducted of innovative expenditure, innovative sales, and economic results in a sample of Italian manufacturing firms, comparing occasi...

In this article we extend the model developed by Bogliacino and Pianta (Industrial and Corporate Change 22 649, 2013, b) on the link between R&D, innovation and economic performance, considering the impact of innovation on export success. We develop a simultaneous three equation model in order to investigate the existence of a ‘virtuous circle’ bet...

This article presents the results of a laboratory experiment and an online multi-country experiment testing the effect of motor vehicle eco-labels on consumers. The laboratory study featured a discrete choice task and questions on comprehension, while the ten countries online experiment included measures of willingness to pay and comprehension. Lab...

In this work, we test the hypothesis that the Colombian system of socio-economic stratification, which ranks dwellings from one to six to calculate utility (public services) rates, may be discriminatory and increase segregation. A field experiment with around 1000 participants from Bogota is carried out. The design includes a combination of a trust...

In this article, we analyze the process of monetary integration in Europe, identifying the structural determinants and the dysfunctional elements in the main institutions. Secondly, we show how the prevailing discourses fail in interpreting the events. These discourses are mainly two: on the one hand, a purely ideological position that see integrat...



Recent research in Economics has sought to understand the effects of exposure to violence on individual preferences, including pro-social behavior. Here, we assess the impact on pro-social behaviour of a governmental program to compensate victims of forced displacement. All our subjects have been officially recognized as victims of a conflict, and,...

In this article we discuss how to summarize the persistent and large heterogeneity in innovative behaviour and economic performance. A revision of the Pavitt (1984) Taxonomy—covering manufacturing and services, as well as ICT activities—is proposed as a key tool for identifying common characteristics and diversities in patterns. An extensive analys...

The European Online Games, Social Media and Mobile Application sector has grown substantially in recent years and children are exposed to increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques online which are often outside the purview of existing regulatory frameworks. This study aims to provide a better understanding of online marketing to children and...

In this article we discuss how to summarize the persistent and large heterogeneity in innovative behaviour and economic performance. A revision of the Pavitt (1984) Taxonomy-covering manufacturing and services, as well as ICT activities-is proposed as a key tool for identifying common characteristics and diversities in patterns. An extensive analys...

While it has long been apparent that global levels of wealth and income inequality have been steadily increasing since the 1970s, the issue received scant attention in Europe until the recent fi nancial crisis and the resulting Great Recession illuminated for the general public just how great the chasm between the very rich and everybody else had g...

The study of wealth and wealth inequality has received far less attention than income, but the increasing importance of wealth, debt and wealth inequality means closer attention must be paid to their concomitant dynamics. Policy interventions to reduce economic inequality continue to target income more than wealth, but targeting the latter – especi...

In this work we test the hypothesis that the Colombian system of socio-economic stratification, ranking dwellings from one to six to compute the utility bills tariff, may cause segregation. A careful reading of the literature shows that this may occur if the strata are associated with discrimination. A field experiment with around 1000 participants...

In this article we use data from a multi-country Randomized Control Trial study on the effect of anti-tobacco pictorial warnings on an individual’s emotions and behavior. By exploiting the exogenous variations of images as an instrument, we are able to identify the effect of emotional responses. We use a range of outcome variables, from cognitive (...

In this article, we test the main hypotheses of the behavioral theory of entrepreneurship, namely that risk preferences are reference dependent, that entrepreneurs are not ambiguity averse and that aspirations act as a reference point in the sense postulated by Prospect Theory. We use an experimental methodology to elicit risk preferences, and we m...

This article shows—on both conceptual and empirical grounds—the importance of business cycles in affecting key relationships between innovation and international performance. While periods of upswing are characterised by a well documented ‘virtuous circle’ between innovation inputs, new products and export success, during downswings most of the pos...

In this study we show the preliminary results of a series of field experiments with a sample of displaced population and a sample of beneficiaries of land titling programs. We didn't get access to official data, thus land restitution is self-declared by participants. The fieldwork was carried out in Montes de María region in the second half of 2014...

We report experimental results from three Colombian villages concerning the impact of a voting mechanism on interpersonal trust and trustworthiness. The vote is purely consultative in that participants are asked to declare in a secret ballot the most “appropriate” plan of action for individuals involved in a “Trust Game”. The plan of action that is...

Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong disability that is not well known by the general population and tends to be associated with social stigma; also, because it involves children, it may get highly emotionally charged. These stylised facts engender a number of possible heuristics and biases at the moment of deciding on following a treatment or lo...

Quando si parla di ricchi bisognerebbe distinguere tra chi ha un alto reddito e chi ha un patrimonio elevato. Il reddito è, infatti, il flusso di risorse che si riceve a vario titolo in un intervallo di tempo definito (di norma un anno), mentre il patrimonio è la fotografia delle attività e passività accumulate. Quale dei due piani (reddito o ricch...

This article critically discusses the potential of the new behavioural turn in consumer policy. It focuses on methodological and normative aspects, which are not suffi ciently discussed in the policy domain, in particular on the lessons that can be learned from randomised control trials and the normative side of the intervention. Some implications...

English Abstract: The “virtuous circle” between innovative inputs, outputs and economic performance is investigated in this article with a three equation model highlighting feedback loops and simultaneous relations. An empirical test is carried out considering innovative expenditure, innovative turnover and economic results in a sample of Italian m...

English Abstract: In this article we use the unification of Germany in 1990 to test the hypothesis that an increase in the supply of a production factor generates skill biased technical change. We test for this mechanism in the context of the model presented by Acemoglu and Autor (2011) that allows endogenous assignment of skills to tasks in the ec...

In this article we extend the model developed by Bogliacino and Pianta (2013a, 2013b) on the link between RD second, the role of innovation as a determinant of export market shares; third, the export success as a driver of new R&D efforts. The model is tested for 38 manufacturing and service sectors of six European countries over three time periods...

We use prospect theory to model reference dependent consumers, where the reference point is the average behavior of the society in the current period. We show that after a finite number of steps under any equilibrium, the distribution of wealth will become and remain equal, or admit a missing class (a particular form of polarization). Under equilib...

The evidence on growing inequality in OECD countries has raised an important debate over its main drivers, pointing out an increasing importance of the capital-labour conflict. In this contribution, we aim at disentangling the role of some of the forces shaping this process. Our identification strategy relies on the sequential nature of wage settin...

In the last decades of the 20th Century, a large consensus emerged over the effect of technological change on wage distribution. The core of this theory becomes the backbone of a scientific paradigm that attempts to give an explanation for most of the open issues in currently developed economies, from rising of inequality in the USA to European une...

In this paper we test the effect of technological capabilities (accumulated knowledge and organization/production routines) on the R&D intensity for a panel of European industries. Our proxy for capabilities is the distance from the technological frontier. Estimation is carried out with System Generalized Methods of Moments and is robust to various...

The European Commission put forward its strategy for the 2010–2020 period in its Europe 2020 Communication. Inequality should be seen as a cornerstone of both sustainable and inclusive growth. In fact, unequal societies are also more unstable societies (i.e. unsustainable) and more polarised (i.e. exclusive). The analysis of available data and the...