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Monday, 30 March, 2026

Theodor Kouro: Essays in Experimental Economics

Defense Committee:

Filip Matějka (CERGE-EI, chair)

Byeongju Jeong (CERGE-EI)

Lubomír Cingl (VŠE)

Dissertation Committee:

Ole Jann (CERGE-EI, chair)

Michal Bauer(CERGE-EI)

Štěpán Jurajda (CERGE-EI)

Jan Zápal (CERGE-EI)

Referees:

Sebastian Kube (University of Bonn)

Suanna Oh (Paris School of Economics)

Meeting link: https://cerge-ei.webex.com/cerge-ei/j.php?MTID=m783b448571013520e6da453ea67131d0

Meeting number:
2743 590 3889

Meeting password:
637851

 

Abstract:

This thesis explores behavioral and rational mechanisms underlying people’s prosociality, effort provision, and human capital decisions. Chapter 1 examines whether and why charitable giving increases when donors have more choice about how their donations are used, specifically the option to allocate their gift to three projects as they prefer. Partnering with
a charity and many firms, I show that allowing donors to direct their gifts increases giving, primarily because donors can better target causes they value. Chapter 2 examines the mechanics of autonomy in a large-scale natural field experiment with volunteers on effort provision. Allowing volunteers to choose their tasks rather than being randomly assigned increases effort by 33% and improves effort quality. I provide causal evidence that this effect is driven by ability-task matching rather than intrinsic preferences for choice, task attachment, or increased commitment, suggesting that autonomy can be a cost-effective alternative to performance-based monetary incentives. Chapter 3 documents parental misperceptions at the time of secondary school track choice. Combining administrative data with a large-scale survey of parents in Albania, I show that parents overestimate their own child’s academic prospects and underestimate those of similarly performing peers, which helps explain high enrollment in academic tracks among students unlikely to meet college eligibility thresholds. In contrast, beliefs about vocational education returns are broadly accurate, highlighting the
role of information frictions in educational choices.

Full Text: "Essays in Experimental Economics"