Behavior and Policy 11.478 Behavior and Policy: Connections in Transportation
Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT, Spring 2015
Full Reading List
Part I: Behavior and Policy in a Nutshell
Class 1. Cafeteria Trays and Multiple Frameworks
• Etheredge (1976) The case of the unreturned cafeteria trays: An Investigation based
upon theories of motivation and human behavior
Class 2. Ten Instruments for Behavioral Change
• Miller and Prentice (2013) Psychological Levers of Behavior Change, Chapter 17 in
Eldar Shafir, The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy
• Richard Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein: Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth,
and Happiness, Introduction
• Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow, Introduction
Class 3. Measurement, Tools and Technology (Emile Bruneau)
• Emile Bruneau 2015 "Putting Neuroscience to Work for Peace”, Working Paper
• Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kremer, M. (2007). Using randomization in development
economics research: A toolkit. Handbook of development economics, 4, 3895-3962.
• Greenwald, A. G., Nosek, B. A., & Banaji, M. R. (2003). Understanding and using the
implicit association test: I. An improved scoring algorithm. Journal of personality and
social psychology, 85(2), 197. You may try the Implicit Association Test here
https://implicit.harvard.edu/
• Winter Mason and Siddharth Suri (2012) Conducting Behavioural Research on
Amazon’s Mech Turk, Behavior Research Method 44(1)
Class 4. My Brain at the Bus Stop: EEG & Waiting
• Dan Ariely and Gregory S. Berns (2010), “Neuromarketing: The Hope and Hype of
Neuroimaging in Business.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
• Li, Zelin, F. Duarte, J. Zhao, Z. Zhao (2015) My brain at the bus stop: an exploratory
framework for applying EEG-based emotion detection techniques in transportation
study, working paper
Class 5. Behavioral Foundation of Public Policy (Madrian)
• Madrian, B. C. (2014). Applying Insights From Behavioral Economics To Policy
Design. Annual review of economics, 6, 663.
• Eldar Shafir (2013) The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy, Chapter 26.
Behaviorally Informed Regulation
• Eldar Shafir (2013) The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy, Forward,
Introduction
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Behavior and Policy Part II: Behavioral Theory: Simon, Thaler, Kahneman
Class 6. Choice Architecture: Nudges and Nudging
• Thaler, Richard H. "From Homo Economicus to Homo Sapiens." Journal of Economics
Perspectives 14, (2000): 133-141.
• Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2008) Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health,
Wealth, and Happiness, Chapter 4 When do We Need a Nudge, Chapter 5 Choice
Architecture
• Jinhua Zhao and Tim Baird (2013) ‘Nudging’ Active Travel: A Framework For
Behavioral Interventions Using Mobile Technology
Class 7. Bounded Rationality
• Amos Tversky; Daniel Kahneman (1974) Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and
Biases, Science, Vol. 185, No. 4157.
• Simon (1955). "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice." Quarterly Journal of
Economics, 69(1)
• Simon, H. A. (1956). Rational choice and the structure of the environment.
Psychological review, 63(2), 129
Class 8. Prospect Theory
• Kahneman, Daniel, and Amos Tversky. Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision
Under Risk". Econometrica. XLVII (1979): 263-291.
• Kahneman, Daniel; Tversky, Amos (1984) Choices, values, and frames, American
Psychologist, Vol 39(4)
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1992). Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative
representation of uncertainty. Journal of Risk and uncertainty, 5(4), 297-323.
• Kahneman (2003) Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral
Economics, American Economic Review 93(5)
Part III: Time, Space and Information
Class 9. Reinterpreting Time: Dali and Einstein
• Raghubir et al (2011) Spatial categorization and time perception: Why does it take less
time to get home? Journal of Consumer Psychology 21
• Schiffman, H. R. (1990). Sensation and perception: An integrated approach . John
Wiley & Sons. Chapter 19: The Perception of Time
• Allman, M. J., Teki, S., Griffiths, T. D., & Meck, W. H. (2014). Properties of the
internal clock: first-and second-order principles of subjective time. Annual review of
psychology, 65, 743-771.
• Einstein, A. (1905). On the electrodynamics of moving bodies. Annalen der Physik,
17(891), 50.
Class 10. Is Travel Time Wasted? ICT, Transit and Driverless Cars
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Behavior and Policy •
Mokhtarian and Salomon 2001, How derived is the demand for travel? Some
conceptual and measurement considerations, Transportation Research Part A: 35 (8)
• RAND 2014 Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers
• Guo, Z, A. Derian, and J. Zhao (2014) Smart Devices and Travel Time Use by Bus
Passengers in Vancouver, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
• Aliaksandr Malokin, Giovanni Circella, and Patricia L. Mokhtarian 2015 “How Do
Activities Conducted while Commuting Influence Mode Choice? Testing TransitAdvantage and Autonomous-Vehicle Scenarios”, working paper
Class 11. Power of Information and Nudging with Maps
• Guo 2011 Mind the Map! Impact of Transit Maps on Travel Decisions in Public
Transit Systems, Transportation Research Part A 45(7)
• Eran Ben-Elia & Erel Avineri (2015): Response to Travel Information: A Behavioural
Review, Transport Reviews
• Dziekan and Kottenhoff 2007 Dynamic at-stop real-time information displays for
public transport: effects on customers, Transportation Research Part A 41
• Watkins, F. et al 2011 Where Is My Bus? Impact of mobile real-time information on
the perceived and actual wait time of transit riders, Transportation Research Part A 45
Part IV: Policy Design I
Class 12. Salience in Transportation Pricing
• Finkelstein, A. (2009) E-ztax: Tax salience and tax rates. Quarterly Journal of
Economics 124 (3): 969-1010. doi: 10.1162/qjec.2009.124.3.969
• Michel, A., & Zhao, J. (2015). Modeling Saliency in Transportation Pricing: Optimal
Mixture of Automobile Management Policies. In Transportation Research Board 94th
Annual Meeting (No. 15-1133).
• Kristina Shampanier, Nina Mazar, and Dan Ariely (2007), “Zero as a Special Price:
The True Value of Free Products.” Marketing Science. Vol. 26, No. 6: 742-757.
Class 13. Decision by Default: Active Choosing or Default Rules
• Sunstein, Cass (2014) Active Choosing or Default Rules? The Policymaker's Dilemma
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2437421
• Johnson, E. J., & Goldstein, D. G. (2003). Do defaults save lives?. Science, 302, 13381339.
• Cass R. Sunstein, Deciding By Default, UPenn Law Review (2013)
Class 14. Reference Class Forecasting and Transportation Planning as Preference
Shaping
• Flyvbjerg, B. (2008). Curbing optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation in
planning: Reference class forecasting in practice. European Planning Studies, 16(1), 321.
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Behavior and Policy Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Peetz, J. (2010). Chapter 1: the planning fallacy: cognitive,
motivational, and social origins. Advances in experimental social psychology, 43, 1-62.
Siemiatycki, M. (2009). Academics and Auditors Comparing Perspectives on
Transportation Project Cost Overruns. Journal of Planning Education and Research,
29(2), 142-156.
Zhao, J. (2009). Preference accommodating and preference shaping: incorporating
traveler preferences into transportation planning (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology).
Part V: Emotion and Transport Policy
Class 15. Happiness: Experience or Memory
• Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow, Part V. Two Selves
• Kahneman, D. (2000). Experienced utility and objective happiness: A moment-based
approach. Choices, values, and frames, 673-692.
• Lazarus, R. S. (1996). Passion and reason: Making sense of our emotions. Oxford
University Press.
• Diener, E., Scollon, C. N., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). The evolving concept of subjective
well-being: The multifaceted nature of happiness. Advances in cell aging and
gerontology, 15, 187-219.
• Kringelbach, M. L., & Berridge, K. C. (2009). Towards a functional neuroanatomy of
pleasure and happiness. Trends in cognitive sciences, 13(11), 479-487.
• Abou-Zeid et al 2012 Happiness and travel mode switching: Findings from a Swiss
public transportation experiment, Transport Policy 19 (1)
Class 16. Emotion and Urban Planning (Thompson)
• Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational, Chapter 6 The Influence of Arousal
• Welch, D. D. (1997). Ruling with the heart: Emotion-based public policy. S. Cal.
Interdisc. LJ, 6, 55.
• Barbalet, J. M. (2001). Chatper 2, Emotion and Rationality, in Emotion, social theory,
and social structure: A macrosociological approach. Cambridge University Press.
• Barbalet, J. M. (2001). Chatper 4, Action and confidence, in Emotion, social theory,
and social structure: A macrosociological approach. Cambridge University Press.
Class 17. Car Pride, Bicycle Decline and Failure of Life
• Zhao and Zhao (2015) Understanding Car Pride: Psychological Structure and
Behavioral Implications, Working Paper
• Ming Yang, Maggie Wang, Jinhua Zhao and John Zacharias 2015 The Rise and
Decline of the Bicycle in Beijing, Transport Reviews, Under Review
Part VI: Is Travel Social
Class 18. Social Influencing System (Stibe)
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Behavior and Policy •
Agnis Stibe 2014 Socially Influencing Systems: Persuading People To Engage With
Publicly Displayed Twitter-Based Systems, Doctoral Dissertation
• Ariely, D., Bracha, A., & Meier, S. (2009). Doing good or doing well? Image
motivation and monetary incentives in behaving prosocially. The American Economic
Review, 544-555.
• Eldar Shafir (2013) The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy, Chapter 4. The
Psychology of Cooperation
• Tom Vanderbilt (2008). Traffic, Chapter 4 Why Ants Don’t Get into Traffic Jams (and
Humans Do)
• Becker, G. S. (1993). Nobel lecture: The economic way of looking at behavior. Journal
of political economy, 385-409
Class 19. E-hailing, Humanizing Travel and Shared Mobilty
• Eldar Shafir (2013) The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy, Chapter 4. The
Psychology of Cooperation
• Li, C., & Zhao, J. (2015). Humanizing Travel: How E-hail Apps Transform
Stakeholder Relationships in the US Taxi Industry. In Transportation Research Board
94th Annual Meeting (No. 15-0680).
• Tom Vanderbilt (2008). Traffic, Chapter 4 Why Ants Don’t Get into Traffic Jams (and
Humans Do)
Class 20. Help People Help Themselves
• Loewenstein, John and Volpp (2013) Using Decision Errors to Help People Help
themselves in Eldar Shafir Chapter 21
• Dan Ariely and Klaus Wertenbroch (2002), “Procrastination, Deadlines, and
Performance: Self-control by Precommitment.” Psychological Science, Vol. 13, No. 3
• Dan Ariely and Michael Norton (2007), “How Actions Create—Not Just Reveal—
Preferences.” TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences. Vol. 12, No. 1
• Michael I. Norton, Dan Ariely, and Daniel Mochon (2012), “The IKEA effect: When
labor leads to love.” Journal of Consumer Psychology. v22
Part VII: Policy Design 2: Market Failure and Governing the COmmons
Class 21. Market Failure and Governing the Common
• Ostrom, 1998. "A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective
Action," Presidential Address, American Political Science Association, 1997.
American Political Science Review, 92(1)
• Ostrom 2010. "Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex
Economic Systems," American Economic Review, 100(3)
• Nudge, Chapter 12 Saving the Planet
• Richard Larrick and Jack Soll (2008). “The MPG Illusion.” Science, 320(5883)
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Behavior and Policy •
Shahzeen Attari, Michael DeKay, Cliff Davison and Wandi Bruine de Bruine (2010).
“Public Perceptions of Energy Consumption and Savings,” PNAS 107(37)
Class 22. Game Theory and Mechanism Design
• Roth, Alvin E. "The economist as engineer: Game theory, experimentation, and
computation as tools for design economics." Econometrica 70.4 (2002): 1341-1378.
• Roth, Alvin E. "What Have We Learned from Market Design?." Innovation Policy and
the Economy, Volume 9. University of Chicago Press, 2009. 79-112.
• McFadden, D. (2009). The human side of mechanism design: a tribute to Leo Hurwicz
and Jean-Jacque Laffont. Review of Economic Design, 13(1-2), 77-100.
• Maskin, E. S. (2008). Mechanism design: How to implement social goals. The
American Economic Review, 567-576.
Class 23. Auction or Lottery: Reference and Perceived Fairness
• Jinhua Zhao, Shenhao Wang, Tracy Chen and David Block-Schachter (2015)
Superficial Fairness of Beijing's Vehicle License Lottery Policy
• Chen, T. and J. Zhao (2012) Bidding to Drive: Car License Auction Policy in Shanghai
and Its Public Acceptance, Transport Policy 27
Class 24. Impossible Elasticity! Policy Examples in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai
• Zhao, J. and S. Wang (2015). Impossible Elasticity! Behavioral Perspective of
Guangzhou's Hybrid License Policy
Class 25. Clearinghouse for Urban Mobility Service
• Zhao, J (2015). Clearinghouse for Urban Mobility Service, NSF Proposal: NSF 14-610
Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity
Reading for PS5 Literature Review
• Cronin Jr, J. J., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: a reexamination and
extension. The journal of marketing, 55-68.
• Brady, M. K., Cronin, J. J., & Brand, R. R. (2002). Performance-only measurement of
service quality: a replication and extension. Journal of business research, 55(1), 17-31.
• Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of
service quality and its implications for future research. the Journal of Marketing, 41-50.
• Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences
of service quality. the Journal of Marketing, 31-46.
• Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: a meansend model and synthesis of evidence. The Journal of marketing, 2-22.
• Miller, R. B. (1967). Task taxonomy: Science or technology? Ergonomics, 10(2), 167176.
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