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Contracts with Wishful Thinkers

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  • Giovanni Immordino
  • Anna Maria C. Menichini
  • Maria Grazia Romano

Abstract

In a setting with a wishful thinking agent and a realistic principal, the paper studies how incentive contracts should be designed to control for both moral hazard and self‐deception. The properties of the contract that reconcile the agent with reality depend on the weight the agent attaches to anticipatory utility. When this is small, principal and agent agree on full recollection. For intermediate values the principal bears an extra cost to make the agent recall bad news. For large weights, the principal gives up on inducing signal recollection. We also extend the analysis to the case in which the parameter of anticipatory utility is private information.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Immordino & Anna Maria C. Menichini & Maria Grazia Romano, 2015. "Contracts with Wishful Thinkers," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 863-886, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:24:y:2015:i:4:p:863-886
    DOI: 10.1111/jems.12113
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giovanni Immordino & Anna Maria C. Menichini & Maria Grazia Romano, 2015. "Contracts with Wishful Thinkers," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 863-886, October.
    2. Luc Bridet & Peter Schwardmann, 2020. "Selling Dreams: Endogenous Optimism in Lending Markets," CESifo Working Paper Series 8271, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law

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