Social Preferences & Fairness

People care about more than their own share. Fairness, trust, generosity, and the treatment of other people can all influence a decision. Research on social preferences studies how those concerns fit into the choices we make.

Here you'll find work on inequity aversion, giving, cooperation, and social expectations. Fairness is part of the picture, but people can mean different things by it. An equal share, a reward for effort, and help for the person who needs it most can each seem fair for a different reason.