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Daniels School Faculty

Tim Cason

Tim Cason

Distinguished Professor of Economics
Gadomski Chair of Economics
Director of Vernon Smith Experimental Economics Laboratory (VSEEL)

Education

Ph.D., Economics, University of California (Berkeley)
B.A., Economics and Mathematics, Indiana University (Bloomington)

Professor Cason's teaching and research interests are in the areas of industrial organization, experimental economics, and environmental economics. His current research areas include experimental markets, environmental regulation, and antitrust.

He has published research in many leading journals, including Science, the Journal of Political EconomyEconometrica, the American Economic Review, and the Review of Economic Studies. He is a former Co-Editor of the Journal of Public Economics, a past editor of the journal Experimental Economics, and has also served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Management Science, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and Games and Economic Behavior.

He was President of the Economic Science Association (2009-2011), which is the international society of experimental economists. Prior to joining the Krannert faculty in 1998, he was an associate professor (1997-98) and assistant professor (1991-97) at the University of Southern California. He has done public utility, regulatory and antitrust consulting.

Journal Articles

  • Cason, T. N., Gangadharan, L., & Grossman, P. (2022). "Gender, Beliefs and Coordination with Externalities." Journal of Public Economics vol. 214
  • Woods, D., Abdalla, M., Bagchi, S., Sundaram, S., & Cason, T. N. (2022). "Network Defense and Behavioral Biases: An Experimental Study." Experimental Economics vol. 25 254-286.
  • Cason, T. & Mui, V.-L. (2019). "Individual versus Group Choices of Repeated Game Strategies: A Strategy Method Approach." Games and Economic Behavior forthcoming.
  • Cason, T. & Wu, S. (2019). "Subject Pools and Deception in Agricultural and Resource Economics Experiments." Environmental and Resource Economics forthcoming.
  • Cason, T. & de Vries, F. (2018). "Dynamic Efficiency in Experimental Emissions Trading Markets with Investment Uncertainty." Environmental and Resource Economics forthcoming.
  • Cason, T., Masters, W. & Sheremeta, R. (2018). "Winner-Take-All and Proportional-Prize Contests: Theory and Experimental Results." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization forthcoming.
  • Cason, T., Sheremeta, R., & Zhang, J. (2017). "Asymmetric and Endogenous Within-Group Communication in Competitive Coordination Games." Experimental Economics vol. 20 946-972.
  • Cason, T. & Zubrickas, R. (2017). "Enhancing Fundraising with Refund Bonuses." Games and Economic Behavior vol. 101 218-233.
  • Banerjee, S., Cason, T., de Vries, F., & Hanley, N. (2017). "Transaction Costs, Communication and Spatial Coordination in Payment for Ecosystem Services Schemes." Journal of Environmental Economics & Management vol. 83 68-89.
  • Perkis, D., Cason, T. & Tyner, W. (2016). "An Experimental Investigation of Hard and Soft Price Ceilings in Emissions Permit Markets." Environmental and Resource Economics vol. 63 703-718.
  • Casari, M. & Cason, T. (2016). "Common Value Auctions with Voluntary and Qualified Entry." Revue Economique vol. 67 953-976.
  • Cason, T., Friesen, L., & Gangadharan, L. (2016). "Regulatory Performance of Audit Tournaments and Compliance Observability." European Economic Review vol. 85 288-306.
  • Cason, T. & Gangadharan, L. (2016). "Swords without Covenants Do Not Lead to Self-Governance." Journal of Theoretical Politics vol. 28 44-73.
  • Cason, T. & Mui, V.-L. (2015). "Individual versus Group Play in the Repeated Coordinated Resistance Game." Journal of Experimental Political Science vol. 2 94-106.
  • Cason, T. & Samek, A. (2015). "Learning through Passive Participation in Asset Market Bubbles." Journal of the Economic Science Association vol. 1 170-181.
  • Cason, T. & Gangadharan, L. (2015). "Promoting Cooperation in Nonlinear Social Dilemmas through Peer Punishment." Experimental Economics vol. 18 66-88.
  • Cason, T. & Mui, V.-L. (2015). "Rich Communication, Social Preferences, and Coordinated Resistance against Divide-and Conquer: A Laboratory Investigation." European Journal of Political Economy vol. 37 146-159.
  • Cason, T. & Mui, V.-L. (2014). "Coordinating Collective Resistance through Communication and Repeated Interaction." The Economic Journal vol. 124 F226-256.
  • Cason, T., Friedman, D. & Hopkins, E. (2014). "Cycles and Instability in a Rock-Paper-Scissors Population Game: A Continuous Time Experiment." Review of Economic Studies vol. 81 112-136.
  • Cason, T. & Plott, C. (2014). "Misconceptions and Game Form Recognition: Challenges to Theories of Revealed Preference and Framing." Journal of Political Economy vol. 122 1235-1270.
  • Cason, T. & Mago, S. (2013). "A Laboratory Study of Duopoly Price Competition with Patient Buyers." Economic Inquiry vol. 51 1123-1141.
  • Cason, T. & Gangadharan, L. (2013). "Cooperation Spillovers and Price Competition in Experimental Markets." Economic Inquiry vol. 51 1715-1730.
  • Cason, T. & Gangadharan, L. (2013). "Empowering Neighbors versus Imposing Regulations: An Experimental Analysis of Pollution Reduction Schemes." Journal of Environmental Economics & Management vol. 65 469-484.
  • Casari, M. & Cason, T. (2013). "Explicit versus Implicit Contracts for Dividing the Benefits of Cooperation." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization vol. 61 20-34.
  • Cason, T., Lau, S.-H.. & Mui, V.-L. (2013). "Learning, Teaching, and Turn Taking in the Repeated Assignment Game." Economic Theory vol. 54 335-357.
  • Cason, T., Savikhin, A. & Sheremeta, R. (2012). "Behavioral Spillovers in Coordination Games." European Economic Review vol. 56 233-245.
  • Cason, T., Sheremeta, R. & Zhang, J. (2012). "Communication and Efficiency in Competitive Coordination Games." Games and Economic Behavior vol. 76 26-43.
  • Cason, T., Gangadharan, L. & Maitra, P. (2012). "Moral Hazard and Peer Monitoring in a Laboratory Microfinance Experiment." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization vol. 82 192-209.
  • Cason, T., Kannan, K., Siebert, R. (2011). "An Experimental Study of Information Revelation Policies in Sequential Auctions." Management Science vol. 57 667-688.
  • Raymond, L. & Cason, T. (2011). "Can Affirmative Motivations Improve Compliance in Emissions Trading Programs." Policy Studies Journal vol. 39 659-678.
  • Cason, T., Gangadharan, L., Nikiforakis, N. (2011). "Can Real-Effort Investments Inhibit the Convergence of Experimental Markets." International Journal of Industrial Organization vol. 29 97-103.
  • Cason, T. & Gangadharan, L. (2011). "Price Discovery and Intermediation in Linked Emissions Trading Markets: A Laboratory Study." Ecological Economics vol. 70 1424-1433.
  • Nishimura, N., Cason, T., Saijo, T. & Ikeda, I. (2011). "Spite and Reciprocity in Auctions." Games vol. 2 365-411.
  • Cason, T. & Datta Mago, S. (2010). "Costly Buyer Search in Laboratory Markets with Seller Advertising." Journal of Industrial Economics vol. 58 424-449.
  • Cason, T., Masters, W., Sheremeta, R. (2010). "Entry into Winner-Take-All and Proportional-Prize Contests: An Experimental Study." Journal of Public Economics vol. 94 604-611.
  • Cason, T., Hopkins, E., Friedman, D. (2010). "Testing the TASP: An Experimental Investigation of Learning in Games with Unstable Equilibria." Journal of Economic Theory vol. 145 2309-2331.
  • Cason, T. (2010). "What Can Laboratory Experiments Teach Us About Emissions Permit Market Design." Agricultural and Resource Economics Review vol. 39 151-161.
  • Ule, A., Schram, A., Riedl, A. & Cason, T. (2009). "Indirect Punishment and Generosity towards Strangers." Science vol. 326 1701-1704.
  • Casari, M. & Cason, T (2009). "The Strategy Method Lowers Measured Trustworthy Behavior." Economics Letters vol. 103 157-159.
  • Cason, T. & Noussair, C. (2007). "A Market with Frictions in the Matching Process: An Experimental Study." International Economic Review vol. 48 665-691.
  • Cason, T. & Mui, V.L. (2007). "Communication and Coordination in the Collective Resistance Game." Experimental Economics vol. 10 251-267.
  • Cason, T. & Sharma, T. (2007). "Recommended Play and Correlated Equilibria: An Experimental Study." Economic Theory vol. 33 11-27.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2006). "An Experimental Study of Compliance and Leverage in Auditing and Regulatory Enforcement." Economic Inquiry vol. 44 352-366.
  • Cason, T., & Datta, S. (2006). "An Experimental Study of Price Dispersion in an Optimal Search Model with Advertising." International Journal of Industrial Organization vol. 24 639-665.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2006). "Emissions Variability in Tradable Permit Markets with Imperfect Enforcement and Banking." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization vol. 61 199-216.
  • Cason, T., Saijo, T., Sjöström, T., & Yamato, T. (2006). "Secure Implementation Experiments: Do Strategy-Proof Mechanisms Really Work?" Games and Economic Behavior vol. 57 206-235.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2005). "A Laboratory Comparison of Uniform and Discriminative Price Auctions for Reducing Non-Point Source Pollution." Land Economics vol. 81 51-70.
  • Cason, T., & Reynolds, S. (2005). "Bounded Rationality in Laboratory Bargaining with Asymmetric Information." Economic Theory vol. 25 553-574.
  • Cason, T., & Plott, C. (2005). "Forced Information Disclosure and Fallacy of Transparency in Markets." Economic Inquiry vol. 43 699-714.
  • Cason, T., Friedman, D., & Wagener, F. (2005). "The Dynamics of Price Dispersion, or Edgeworth Variations." Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control vol. 29 801-822.
  • Cason, T., & Mui, V. (2005). "Uncertainty and Resistance to Reform in Laboratory Participation Games." European Journal of Political Economy vol. 21 708-737.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2004). "Auction Design for Voluntary Conservation Programs." American Journal of Agricultural Economics vol. 86 1211-1217.
  • Cason, T., Saijo, T., Yamato, T., & Yokotani, K. (2004). "Non-Excludable Public Good Experiments." Games and Economic Behavior vol. 49 81-102.
  • Cason, T., Gangadharan, L., & Duke, C. (2003). "A Laboratory Study of Auctions for Reducing Non-Point Source Pollution." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management vol. 46 446-471.
  • Cason, T., Friedman, D., & Milam, G. (2003). "Bargaining versus Posted Price Competition in Customer Markets." International Journal of Industrial Organization vol. 21 223-251.
  • Cason, T. (2003). "Buyer Liability and Voluntary Inspections in International Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading: A Laboratory Study." Environmental and Resource Economics vol. 25 101-127.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (2003). "Buyer Search and Price Dispersion: A Laboratory Study." Journal of Economic Theory vol. 112 232-260.
  • Cason, T., Gangadharan, L., & Duke, C. (2003). "Market Power in Tradable Emission Markets: A Laboratory Testbed for Emission Trading in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria." Ecological Economics vol. 46 469-491.
  • Cason, T., & Mui, V. (2003). "Testing Political Economy Models of Reform in the Laboratory." American Economic Review Papers & Proceedings vol. 93 208-212.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2003). "Transaction Costs in Tradable Permit Markets: An Experimental Study of Pollution Market Designs." Journal of Regulatory Economics vol. 23 145-165.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (2002). "A Laboratory Study of Customer Markets." Advances in Economic Analysis & Policy vol. 2 (1), 1. | Related Website |
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (2002). "Environmental Labeling and Incomplete Consumer Information in Laboratory Markets." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management vol. 43 113-134.
  • Cason, T., & Mui, V. (2002). "Fairness and Sharing in Innovation Games: A Laboratory Study." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization vol. 48 243-264.
  • Cason, T., & Tenorio, R. (2002). "To Spin or Not to Spin? Natural and Laboratory Experiments from The Price Is Right." The Economic Journal vol. 112 170-195.
  • Cason, T., Saijo, T., & Yamato, T. (2002). "Voluntary Participation and Spite in Public Good Provision Experiments: An International Comparison." Experimental Economics vol. 5 133-153.
  • Cason, T., & Sharma, T. (2001). "Durable Goods, Coasian Dynamics, and Uncertainty: Theory and Experiments." Journal of Political Economy vol. 109 1311-1354.
  • Cason, T. (2000). "The Opportunity for Conspiracy in Asset Markets Organized with Dealer Intermediaries." Review of Financial Studies vol. 13 385-416.
  • Cason, T., & Khan, F. (1999). "A Laboratory Study of Voluntary Public Goods Provision with Imperfect Monitoring and Communication." Journal of Development Economics vol. 58 533-552.
  • Cason, T., & Arora, S. (1999). "Do Community Characteristics Influence Environmental Outcomes? Evidence from The Toxics Release Inventory." Southern Economic Journal vol. 65 691-716.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1999). "Learning in a Laboratory Market with Random Supply and Demand." Experimental Economics vol. 2 77-98.
  • Cason, T., & Mason, C. (1999). "Uncertainty, Information Sharing and Tacit Collusion in Laboratory Duopoly Markets." Economic Inquiry vol. 37 258-281.
  • Cason, T., & Gangadharan, L. (1998). "An Experimental Study of Electronic Bulletin Board Trading for Emission Permits." Journal of Regulatory Economics vol. 14 55-73.
  • Cason, T., & Mui, V. (1998). "Social Influence in The Sequential Dictator Game." Journal of Mathematical Psychology vol. 42 248-265.
  • Cason, T., & Mui, V. (1997). "A Laboratory Study of Group Polarization in the Team Dictator Game." The Economic Journal vol. 107 1465-1483.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1997). "Price Formation in Single Call Markets." Econometrica vol. 65 311-345.
  • Cason, T., & Plott, C. (1996). "EPA's New Emissions Trading Mechanism: A Laboratory Evaluation." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management vol. 30 133-160.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1996). "Price Formation in Double Auction Markets." Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control vol. 20 1307-1337.
  • Cason, T., & Arora, S. (1996). "Why Do Firms Volunteer to Exceed Environmental Regulations? Understanding Participation in EPA'S 33/50 Program." Land Economics vol. 72 413-432.
  • Cason, T. (1995). "An Experimental Investigation of the Seller Incentives in EPA's Emission Trading Auction." American Economic Review vol. 85 905-922.
  • Cason, T., & Arora, S. (1995). "An Experiment in Voluntary Environmental Regulation: Participation in EPA's 33/50 Program." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management vol. 28 271-286.
  • Cason, T. (1995). "Cheap Talk Price Signaling in Laboratory Markets." Information Economics and Policy vol. 7 183-204.
  • Cason, T., & Davis, D. (1995). "Price Communications in a Multi-Market Context: An Experimental Investigation." Review of Industrial Organization vol. 10 769-787.
  • Cason, T. (1994). "The Impact of Information Sharing Opportunities on Market Outcomes: An Experimental Study." Southern Economic Journal vol. 61 18-39.
  • Cason,T. (1994). "The Strategic Value of Asymmetric Information Access for Cournot Competitors." Information Economics and Policy vol. 6 3-24.
  • Cason, T. (1993). "Seller Incentive Properties of EPA's Emission Trading Auction." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management vol. 25 177-195.
  • Cason, T. (1992). "Call Market Efficiency with Simple Adaptive Learning." Economics Letters vol. 40 27-32.
  • Cason, T., & Uhlaner, R. (1991). "Agricultural Production's Impact on Water and Energy Demand: A Choice Modeling Approach." Resources and Energy vol. 13 307-321.
  • Cason, T., & Williams, A. (1990). "Competitive Equilibrium Convergence in a Posted-Offer Market with Extreme Earnings Inequities." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization vol. 14 331-352.

Books

  • Cason, T., & Noussair, C. (2001). "Advances in Experimental Markets." Springer-Verlag Berlin.

Forthcoming Publications

  • Plott, C., Cason, T. N., Gillen, B., Lee, H., & Maron, T. (2022). "General Equilibrium Methodology Applied to the Design, Implementation and Performance Evaluation of Large, Multi-Market and Multi-Unit Policy Constrained Auctions." Economic Theory

Book Chapters

  • Cason, T., Raymond, L. (2011). "Framing Effects in an Emissions Trading Experiment with Voluntary Compliance." Research in Experimental Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Bingley, UK. 77-114.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (2008). "A Comparison of Market Institutions." North-Holland Amsterdam. 264-272.
  • Cason, T., Duke, C. & Gangadharan, L. (2008). "A Test Bed Experiment for Water and Salinity Rights Trading in Irrigation Regions of the Murray Darling Basin, Australia." Routlege London. 77-99.
  • Cason, T. (2008). "Price Signaling and 'Cheap Talk' in Laboratory Markets." North-Holland Amsterdam. 164-169.
  • Cason, T. (2008). "Trading Institutions and Emission Allowances." North Holland Amsterdam. 661-668.
  • Cason, T., & Noussair, C. (2001). "The Experimental Study of Market Behavior." Springer-Verlag Berlin. 1-14.
  • Cason, T., & Arora, S. (1999). "A Voluntary Approach to Environmental Regulation: The 33/50 Program." Resources for the Future Washington, DC. 97-103.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1999). "Customer Search and Market Power: Some Laboratory Evidence." JAI Press Stamford, CT. vol. 8 71-99. | Related Website |
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1999). "Price Formation and Exchange in Thin Markets: A Laboratory Comparison of Institutions." Edward Elgar Cheltenham, UK. 155-179. | Related Website |
  • Cason, T., Elliot, S., & Van Boening, M. (1999). "Speculation in Experimental Markets for Emission Permits." JAI Press Stamford, CT. vol. 7 93-119.
  • Cason, T., & Friedman, D. (1993). "An Empirical Analysis of Price Formation in Double Auction Markets." Addison-Wesley Reading, MA. 253-283.

Book Review

  • Cason, T (2000). "The Alternating Double Auction Market: A Game Theoretic and Experimental Investigation." Journal of Economics vol. 71 84-86.

Other Publications

  • Cason, T., & Noussair, C. (2000). "Experimental Markets: Introduction." Economic Theory vol. 16 503-509.
  •  Nuclear Power Plant

    Clean Trade

    Countries across the globe now use emissions-trading systems as a policy to cost-effectively reduce pollution. But what incentives do these tradable-permit markets offer companies to invest in advanced pollution-abatement technology? Purdue University’s Tim Cason, the Gadomski Chair of Economics at the Krannert School of Management, is addressing that question through experimental economics.

    Full story: Clean Trade

  • Experimental Economics and Emissions Trading

    Video by Tim Cason for the Purdue Research Center in Economics

  • Vernon Smith

    Economics workshop and conference welcomes home Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith

    The Daniels School of Business’ new Center for Behavioral Economics, Experiments and Public Policy (BEEP) recently hosted Nobel Laureate and former Purdue faculty member Vernon Smith at the center’s first workshop, which was aimed at PhD students, postdocs, and early career researchers.

    Full story: Economics workshop and conference welcomes home Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith

  •  smoke stack
    Investing in the Environment: Giant leaps in pollution abatement
    Countries across the globe now use emissions trading systems to reduce pollution more cost-effectively. But what incentives do these tradeable-permit markets offer companies to invest in advanced pollution abatement technology? Purdue’s Tim Cason, the Gadomski Chair of Economics and director of the Vernon Smith Experimental Economics Laboratory (VSEEL) at the Krannert School, is addressing that question through experimental economics. He most recently investigated the topic in a paper co-authored with United Kingdom colleague Frans de Vries from the University of Stirling for Environmental and Resource Economics.
  • Emissions Trading
    Experimental research by Krannert economist explores investments in global pollution abatement
    Countries across the globe now use emissions-trading systems as a policy to cost-effectively reduce pollution. But what incentives do these tradable-permit markets offer companies to invest in advanced pollution-abatement technology? Purdue University’s Tim Cason, the Gadomski Chair of Economics at the Krannert School of Management, is addressing that question through experimental economics.
  • Purdue Resarchers
    Economics professor Tim Cason part of a Purdue research team harnessing game theory for cybersecurity of large-scale nets
    A Purdue research team including economics professor Tim Cason has laid the groundwork for a method to improve cybersecurity for large-scale systems like the power grid and autonomous military defense networks by harnessing game theory and creating new intelligent algorithms.

Contact

cason@purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 494-1737
Office: RAWL 4093

Quick links

Personal website

Area(s) of Expertise

Behavioral Economics, Environment, Game Theory, Industrial Organization, Public Economics