Abstract
Democratic enterprises have long piqued the interest of a wide range of scholars who have debated their theoretical potential and shortcomings. Without more, and better, empirical evidence, however, this debate has sometimes generated more heat than light. As Dow [2003:8] puts it, “[A]bstract modeling has outpaced the evidence. Much theoretical discussion leans toward casual storytelling rather than thoughtful analysis informed by factual knowledge.” In this talk, Philip Mellizo will show how methods from Behavioral and Experimental Economics are being used to help redress the empirical imbalance by presenting some of his work that examines first-order claims regarding how individuals respond to financial and decision-making participation.