Weijia Wang defended her PhD
On Thursday, 28 August 2025 Weijia Wang held a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defended her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH. Thesis: «Essays on Fairness and Decision Making».
In her dissertation Essays on Fairness and Decision Making, Weijia Wang examines how context shapes fairness-based decisions when people act as third parties—such as managers or decision-makers—who set rules for others.
Her findings reveal that fairness plays a fundamental role in decision-making, but that it is influenced by factors such as incentives, timing, and default options. For example, people may choose less productive but fairer pay systems, adjust redistribution patterns depending on when rules are set, and be swayed by the starting point of a distribution.
The research also shows that institutional frameworks and decision contexts can reduce cultural differences in fairness assessments and significantly shape choices that balance fairness with efficiency.
Taken together, the dissertation highlights the importance of considering contextual factors when designing policies that aim to be both fair and effective.
Members of the evaluation committee:
Professor Vincent Somville (leader), Department of Economics NHH
Professor Christian Zehnder, HEC Lausanne
Førsteamanuensis Simone Haeckl-Schermer, UiS
Supervisors:
Professor Alexander W. Cappelen (main supervisor), Department of Economics, NHH
Professor Erik Øiolf Sørensen, Department of Economics, NHH