The collection of scientific works in this dissertation build upon an interdisciplinary approach. By applying survey techniques, empirical investigations of observational data, as well as experimental methodology, the research presented here sheds light on topics related to the economics of crime and corruption. I employ the encompassing term behavioral ethics to stress the fact that my research gives priority to assessing the drivers and consequences of individual decision-making in (un)ethical settings. I follow Bazerman and Gino (2012, p.85) in defining the term behavioral ethics as “the study of systematic and predictable ways in which individuals make ethical decisions and judge the ethical decisions of others when these decisions are at odds with intuition and the benefits of the broader society.” I expand this perspective by enriching the discussion on decision-making within the unethical sphere, and contribute to a broader understanding of (un)ethical behavior.A total of five papers are arranged according to their topic in three distinct chapters. The structure of this dissertation follows a macro-to-micro approach, which is conducive to leading a comprehensive discussion on illicit behavior. The order in which my research projects are discussed in this dissertation transitions from a high-level approach to a concise behavioral investigation at the individual level. To set the stage, I first discuss the status-quo of existing theories and empirical research on the drivers of illicit behavior with a particular focus, but not limited to, corruption, before investigating the interrelation between illicit behavior and institutional environments employing empirical techniques of observational data analyzing the bilateral interdependence between corruption and migration. I complete the picture with a narrow microanalysis on the individual drivers of illicit...

The collection of scientific works in this dissertation build upon an interdisciplinary approach. By applying survey techniques, empirical investigations of observational data, as well as experimental methodology, the research presented here sheds light on topics related to the economics of crime and corruption. I employ the encompassing term behavioral ethics to stress the fact that my research gives priority to assessing the drivers and consequences of individual decision-making in (un)ethical settings. I follow Bazerman and Gino (2012, p.85) in defining the term behavioral ethics as “the study of systematic and predictable ways in which individuals make ethical decisions and judge the ethical decisions of others when these decisions are at odds with intuition and the benefits of the broader society.” I expand this perspective by enriching the discussion on decision-making within the unethical sphere, and contribute to a broader understanding of (un)ethical behavior.A total of five papers are arranged according to their topic in three distinct chapters. The structure of this dissertation follows a macro-to-micro approach, which is conducive to leading a comprehensive discussion on illicit behavior. The order in which my research projects are discussed in this dissertation transitions from a high-level approach to a concise behavioral investigation at the individual level. To set the stage, I first discuss the status-quo of existing theories and empirical research on the drivers of illicit behavior with a particular focus, but not limited to, corruption, before investigating the interrelation between illicit behavior and institutional environments employing empirical techniques of observational data analyzing the bilateral interdependence between corruption and migration. I complete the picture with a narrow microanalysis on the individual drivers of illicit...