Four graduate students studying behavioral and experimental economics at ISU presented their research at a conference sponsored by the Economic Science Association (ESA) on November 15-17, in Tucson, Arizona. The conference is the largest annual gathering in the United States of faculty and graduate students working in the discipline of behavioral and experimental economics.

Tushi Baul, QiQi Wang, Younjun Kim, and Fanzheng Yang represented Iowa State, in addition to Associate Professor Tanya Rosenblat. The research they presented included the following:

• Qiqi Wang, "Diffusing Group Identity and Social Co Recount Operation"
• Tushi Baul, "Does Unethical Behavior Affect Choice of Profession: Public vs Private?"
• Younjun Kim, "Bias in Risk Aversion Elicitation Method with Multiple Price List Format"
• Fanzheng Yang, "Trust Between Strangers: Belief Updating From Noisy Feedback"
• Tanya Rosenblat, "Link Strength and Interaction Decay in Social Networks"

Both Baul and Kim agreed that the large conference offered ample opportunities to network with potential employers, engage with colleagues, and to develop new connections. Baul said that it was “a good opportunity for those of us in the job market to present our research and to gain feedback on ways to improve our performance.”

The ESA conference included a special panel discussion to mark the 50th anniversary of the discipline of behavioral and experimental economics. That discussion featured Vernon Smith, John Kagel, Charles Plott, and Reinhard Selton, who offered their perspectives on how the field has developed and where it should head. Learn more about ESA at: www.economicscience.org.