Mathias Drehmann

Herding With and Without Payoff Externalities - An Internet Experiment

Most real world situations that are susceptible to herding are also characterized by direct payoff externalities. Yet, the bulk of the theoretical and experimental literature on herding has focused on pure informational externalities. In this paper we experimentally investigate the effects of several different forms of payoff externalities (e.g., network effects, first-mover advantage, etc.) in a standard information-based herding model. Our results are based on an internet experiment with more than 6000 subjects, including a subsample of 267 consultants from an international consulting firm. We also replicate and review earlier cascade experiments. Finally, we study reputation effects (i.e., the influence of success models) in the context of herding.

The effects of countercyclical capital buffers on bank lending

This article provides a simulation on how the countercyclical capital buffer designed in the Basel III package could impact on bank lending. It finds that the buffer could help to reduce credit growth during booms and attenuate the credit contraction once it is released. This would help to dampen procyclicality in addition to the beneficial effects of higher capital levels in terms of higher banking sector resilience to shocks.