Shyam Sunder

For several decades, the orthodox economics approach to understanding choice under risk has been to assume that each individual person maximizes some sort of personal utility function defined over purchasing power. This new volume contests that even the best wisdom from the orthodox theory has not yet been able to do better than supposedly naïve models that use rules of thumb, or that focus on the consumption possibilities and economic constraints facing the individual. The authors assert this by first revisiting the origins of orthodox theory. They then recount decades of failed attempts to obtain meaningful empirical validation or calibration of the theory. Estimated shapes and parameters of the "curves" have varied erratically from domain to domain (e.g., individual choice versus aggregate behavior), from context to context, from one elicitation mechanism to another, and even from the same individual at different time periods, sometimes just minutes apart.This book proposes the return to a simpler sort of scientific theory of risky choice, one that focuses not upon unobservable curves but rather upon the potentially observable opportunities and constraints facing decision makers. It argues that such an opportunities-based model offers superior possibilities for scientific advancement. At the very least, linear utility – in the presence of constraints - is a useful bar for the "curved" alternatives to clear.

Experimental economics is a rapidly growing field of inquiry, and there currently exist several textbooks and surveys describing the results of laboratory experiments in economics. This primer, however, is the first hands-on guide to the physical aspects of actually conducting experiments in economics. It tells researchers, teachers and students in economics how to deal with human subjects, how to design meaningful laboratory environments, how to design experiments, how to conduct experiments and how to analyse and report the data. It also deals with methodological issues. It can be used to structure an undergraduate or graduate course in experimental economics.

Since memories are by their very nature in the past, to be drawn upon or sometimes thoughts which pop back into conscience without warning, I wanted to preserve as many as possible before the list grew shorter over time.

For several decades, the orthodox economics approach to understanding choice under risk has been to assume that each individual person maximizes some sort of personal utility function defined over purchasing power. This new volume contests that even the best wisdom from the orthodox theory has not yet been able to do better than supposedly naïve models that use rules of thumb, or that focus on the consumption possibilities and economic constraints facing the individual. The authors assert this by first revisiting the origins of orthodox theory. They then recount decades of failed attempts to obtain meaningful empirical validation or calibration of the theory. Estimated shapes and parameters of the "curves" have varied erratically from domain to domain (e.g., individual choice versus aggregate behavior), from context to context, from one elicitation mechanism to another, and even from the same individual at different time periods, sometimes just minutes apart.This book proposes the return to a simpler sort of scientific theory of risky choice, one that focuses not upon unobservable curves but rather upon the potentially observable opportunities and constraints facing decision makers. It argues that such an opportunities-based model offers superior possibilities for scientific advancement. At the very least, linear utility – in the presence of constraints - is a useful bar for the "curved" alternatives to clear.

What are the properties of a good financial reporting regime? There are three broad approaches to defining better financial reporting based on attributes, goals, and practice. The first specifies some attributes of good reporting. A second approach is to focus on goals of society or of some specified individuals or groups. Looking to practice for guidance on defining and understanding the financial reporting regime is the third major approach.These three approaches—attributes, goals, and practice—are not mutually exclusive. It is unlikely that any one of them is entirely satisfactory by itself; they complement one another. Better Financial Reporting argues for such a syncretic attitude to financial reporting regime.

Japan has been, and will likely remain, the second largest economy in the world. In the four decades following the Second World War, it dazzled the world, its enviable social indicators, unprecedented fast and sustained with economic growth, process innovations, high productivity and high quality of manufactured product. In the nineties, the growth slowed down to a crawl, and a recession and deflation now threaten it. Could we foretell these historic ups and downs on the basis of financial reports of Japan's great corporations? The 14 chapters of the book take a sweeping view of accounting, covering methods, data, theories, and comparisons. Institutionalism has been a major force in accounting thinking in the United States as well as Japan. The influence of Marxian theory on Japanese accounting and social science thinking remains vastly underappreciated in the United States. A direct comparison of Japanese and U.S. factor markets, and Korean and German accounting practices also reveals important differences.It is crucial for anyone interested in international investments, trade, and economics to understand Japanese financial reporting practices and how they differ from the United States practices . While a few comparative works on Japan and U.S. financial reporting are available, they rarely give the reader an in-depth understanding of the similarities and differences between the United States and Japan. In this volume, a Japanese and U.S. editor have collaborated to bring an understanding of Japanese accounting practices, perspectives, and their implications to the English speaking audience.