Ask Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely Your Questions About the Economic Crisis and Human Behavior

Editor’s Note: Dan Ariely, a noted behavioral economist at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational, is different from many of his economist colleagues. Ariely studies irrationality in economic behavior — despite the fact that economics is largely premised on the idea that people act completely rationally when it comes to markets and finance. The current crisis, however, has called much of those traditional theories into question, making Ariely’s research all the more timely and interesting.

On Wednesday’s NewsHour, Ariely talks to Paul about morality and money in the current economic crisis. Ariely has designed and carried out dozens of experiments all over the world dealing specifically with the concepts of stealing and cheating. His conclusions: People cheat just about the same way all over the world — with one exception.

Dan and Paul will be answering viewer questions in a special Insider Forum. You can leave your questions in the Comments section below or in the Question field to the right. Check back next week for their responses.