Markets and human behavior: evidence from artefactual field experiments

There hardly exists a central concept as markets in the economics discipline. Markets are associated with the efficient allocation of scarce resources and are the fundamental drivers of material well-being. However, markets are not only economic but also social institutions where people meet and commune with each other, and these interactions in the market commonly extend to economic and non-economic (social) relationships. The main objective of this dissertation is, thus, to enhance our understanding of whether and how markets shape human behaviour. Specifically, this dissertation investigates the effect of markets on socially responsible behaviour, social capital, and investment decisions. The findings show that markets have both intended and unintended effects on human behaviour. The dissertation highlights the policy options on how markets could bring about the desired behavioural changes.