Government Cyberattacks, the Perception of Lies, and More – Chicago News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from Chicago business schools this week.
How Governments Can Better Defend Themselves Against Cyberattacks – Kellogg Insights
Northwestern Kellogg Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences Professor Sandeep Baliga recently co-authored new research with University of Chicago’s Ethan Bueno de Mesquita and MIT’s Alexander Wolitzky, which articulates a new theory about how victims of cyber aggression might choose to retaliate—or not—against shadowy aggressors.
Baliga explains that their model presents a theory that “cyber warfare is inherently multilateral.”
“If the standard of proof is satisfied, yeah, then you should react super aggressively. But when there’s a lot of noise, you might actually want to back off because others may exploit your policy by hiding behind misidentification. If somebody wants to trigger a war between us and China, then they have every reason to do a hack that looks like China did it.”
Baliga adds, “If nations get better at both detecting attacks and identifying their perpetrators, then cyber peace is more likely to prevail.”
You can read the full article on the future of government cyberattacks here.
New Study Finds When Telling Lies, Perception Matters – Booth News
Chicago Booth Assistant Professor Emma Levine recently co-authored new research with UCLA Anderson’s Adam Eric Greenberg and Deakin University’s Matthew Lupoli that finds that “well-intentioned lies can spark strong resentment from the person who is deceived.”
In other words, “Telling a lie in order to help or protect someone—a practice known as prosocial lying—backfires if the person being lied to perceives the lie as paternalistic,” meaning lies that require the “liar to make assumptions about whether lying is in the deceived party’s best interest.”
Photo via newschicagobooth.uchicago.edu
Levine explains the trio’s findings, which were published as part of a paper entitled “Paternalistic Lies” in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes:
“We sometimes tell lies to others believing that they will help, when in reality we are acting upon a paternalistic assumption that lying is better than the truth. Our research demonstrates that in these situations, the individual on the receiving end is likely to resent deception.”
You can read more about the research here.
Faculty Focused on Workplace Wellness Continue to Steer the Discussion – Gies College of Business News
Gies College of Business Assistant Professors of Finance David Molitor and Julian Reif co-authored The Illinois Workplace Wellness Study, whose results examine the efficacy of a homegrown wellness program.
According to the website, “The study’s findings will empower employers, public health professionals, and policymakers to make more informed decisions regarding the implementation of workplace wellness programs throughout the United States.”
You can find more here.
