Exploring morality: challenges and insights in economic research
Aug 2025
Enabling world-class research
What drives our moral decisions, and why do people often disagree on what is right or wrong? Despite significant progress in understanding human behavior, the fundamental forces shaping moral decision-making remain elusive. Roberto Weber’s research explores these complexities, aiming to move beyond simplistic models that fail to capture the richness of real-world moral choices.
Pressing challenges to address
- What truly drives our moral decision-making?
- How do leaders influence values and culture?
- Can policy promote moral behavior without hard incentives?
The complexity of moral decision-making
One of the central challenges is identifying what motivates individuals to act morally, even when doing so comes at a personal cost. People sometimes choose to uphold ethical principles despite financial or social disadvantages, yet in other situations, they fail to act in accordance with their stated values. The gap between intention and behavior remains difficult to explain. Are these decisions driven by deeply ingrained social norms, cognitive biases, or context-dependent reasoning? Understanding when and why people make ethical choices – or fail to – has profound implications for everything from business ethics to public policy and legal frameworks.
A second unresolved issue concerns the role of leadership in shaping values and organizational culture. While it is widely accepted that leaders influence the ethical climate of the institutions they oversee, the precise mechanisms through which they do so are not well understood. Does ethical leadership primarily work through direct behavioral modeling, incentive structures, or the establishment of norms that persist even after leaders change? These questions are particularly relevant in corporate settings, where culture influences long-term business success, and in political institutions, where leadership decisions shape governance and public trust.
A third key question revolves around whether moral behavior can be encouraged through policy interventions without relying on coercive measures such as fines or legal sanctions. Governments and institutions frequently attempt to promote ethical conduct through soft incentives – public awareness campaigns, social labeling, or nudging strategies – but their effectiveness varies widely. While some campaigns successfully change behaviors, others fail to generate lasting impact. Understanding which types of interventions work, and in which cultural or institutional contexts, remains a critical challenge for researchers and policymakers alike.
A new research approach: beyond simplistic models
Addressing these questions requires a departure from conventional economic models that attempt to explain moral behavior through overly simplistic frameworks. Many traditional approaches reduce moral decision-making to a set of rational calculations, assuming individuals maximize their utility while incorporating moral preferences as just another factor. However, recent research – including Weber’s own work – has demonstrated that morality does not fit neatly into these models. Ethical choices are shaped by complex cognitive processes, social influences, and institutional settings that resist easy quantification.
A key methodological challenge is designing research that captures the true complexity of moral trade-offs. Experimental studies offer one avenue, but many fail to replicate real-world conditions. For example, laboratory settings often strip away the emotional and social pressures that influence ethical decision-making in practice. Additionally, many experiments focus on highly controlled variables, missing the broader context in which moral choices are made. More naturalistic studies which observe behavior in workplaces political environments, or consumer markets, are needed to provide a fuller picture of how moral reasoning operates in the real world.
Another necessary shift is moving beyond confirmatory research – studies that simply validate preexisting theories – toward research that genuinely seeks new insights. Too often, moral behavior is studied through narrow lenses that re inforce established assumptions rather than challenging them. There is a need for a more exploratory approach, one that acknowledges the limits of current knowledge and embraces the complexity of human morality rather than attempting to simplify it.
Design organizations, policies, and institutions that foster ethical conduct
I am driven by a desire to better understand how people navigate moral dilemmas and, ultimately, to contribute to building institutions that promote ethical decision-making. While research in this field does not always yield easy answers, the pursuit of knowledge itself is deeply rewarding.
Beyond personal intellectual curiosity, I am also motivated by the potential realworld impact of this research. The better we understand moral behavior, the better we can design organizations, policies, and institutions that foster ethical conduct. Whether it is improving corporate governance, shaping public policy, or refining educational approaches, insights from behavioral economics can inform meaningful change.
Another aspect of my work that I find particularly fulfilling is mentoring younger researchers. The next generation of scholars will push the boundaries of what we know about moral decision-making, and training them to be rigorous, honest, and innovative thinkers is an essential part of advancing the field. Scientific progress depends on fostering an environment where new ideas can thrive and where young researchers are encouraged to challenge existing paradigms.
Investing in the next generation of researchers
One of the UBS Center’s most valuable contributions has been its investment in the next generation of researchers. Through its support of the Zurich Graduate School of Economics, the UBS Center ensures that young scholars have the resources and academic freedom to pursue bold ideas. Economic research, particularly in areas like behavioral ethics, thrives when institutions provide an open and dynamic intellectual environment.
In recent years, our understanding of morality and decision-making has evolved dramatically, largely because researchers have embraced new methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches. Yet, many questions remain open. The work being done at institutions like the UBS Center is essential in pushing forward these discussions, challenging existing assumptions, and ensuring that economic research continues to provide meaningful insights into the complexities of human behavior.
What drives our moral decisions, and why do people often disagree on what is right or wrong? Despite significant progress in understanding human behavior, the fundamental forces shaping moral decision-making remain elusive. Roberto Weber’s research explores these complexities, aiming to move beyond simplistic models that fail to capture the richness of real-world moral choices.
Pressing challenges to address
- What truly drives our moral decision-making?
- How do leaders influence values and culture?
- Can policy promote moral behavior without hard incentives?
The complexity of moral decision-making
One of the central challenges is identifying what motivates individuals to act morally, even when doing so comes at a personal cost. People sometimes choose to uphold ethical principles despite financial or social disadvantages, yet in other situations, they fail to act in accordance with their stated values. The gap between intention and behavior remains difficult to explain. Are these decisions driven by deeply ingrained social norms, cognitive biases, or context-dependent reasoning? Understanding when and why people make ethical choices – or fail to – has profound implications for everything from business ethics to public policy and legal frameworks.
A second unresolved issue concerns the role of leadership in shaping values and organizational culture. While it is widely accepted that leaders influence the ethical climate of the institutions they oversee, the precise mechanisms through which they do so are not well understood. Does ethical leadership primarily work through direct behavioral modeling, incentive structures, or the establishment of norms that persist even after leaders change? These questions are particularly relevant in corporate settings, where culture influences long-term business success, and in political institutions, where leadership decisions shape governance and public trust.
Roberto Weber is the UBS Foundation Professor for the Economics of Corporate Culture, Business Ethics and Social Responsibility in the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich.
Quotes
Whether it is improving corporate governance, shaping public policy, or refining educational approaches, insights from behavioral economics can inform meaningful change.
Economic challenges of our time
From rising inequality and global trade tensions to climate change and the impact of artificial intelligence on labor markets – economists today are grappling with fundamental questions that will shape our collective future. In this special edition of the Public Paper series, all affiliated professors of the UBS Center share their perspectives on these challenges. Their contributions highlight how cutting-edge research conducted at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich can help us better understand – and potentially solve – some of the most urgent issues of our time.
It is precisely this ambition that defines the UBS Center for Economics in Society. Since its founding, the Center has served as a platform for dialogue between academia, business, and policymakers and as a catalyst for excellence in economic research. That vision goes back to Kaspar Villiger. As the founding Chairman of the Foundation Council, he played a pivotal role in establishing and shaping the UBS Center.
With this fifteenth edition of the Public Paper series, we honor Kaspar Villiger’s extraordinary contributions and legacy. By strengthening research capacity at the University of Zurich and fostering public dialogue around key societal questions, his vision continues to inspire the Center’s mission: bridging knowledge and society to build a better future.
From rising inequality and global trade tensions to climate change and the impact of artificial intelligence on labor markets – economists today are grappling with fundamental questions that will shape our collective future. In this special edition of the Public Paper series, all affiliated professors of the UBS Center share their perspectives on these challenges. Their contributions highlight how cutting-edge research conducted at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich can help us better understand – and potentially solve – some of the most urgent issues of our time.
It is precisely this ambition that defines the UBS Center for Economics in Society. Since its founding, the Center has served as a platform for dialogue between academia, business, and policymakers and as a catalyst for excellence in economic research. That vision goes back to Kaspar Villiger. As the founding Chairman of the Foundation Council, he played a pivotal role in establishing and shaping the UBS Center.
Roberto Weber on Google Scholarbrowse
Author
UBS Foundation Professorship for Economics of Corporate Culture, Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
UBS Foundation Professorship for Economics of Corporate Culture, Business Ethics and Social Responsibility