Tess Wilkinson-Ryan Books

Tess Wilkinson-Ryan examines the role of moral judgment in legal decision-making. She employs experimental methods from psychology and behavioral economics to investigate how individuals draw upon their moral intuitions to motivate or inform legal choices. Her research specifically delves into private contracts and negotiations, proposing that most people view breaking a promise as immoral and a contract breach as akin to a broken promise. Consequently, individuals are uncomfortable with the idea of breaking a promise and resist profiting from actions they perceive as moral violations. These findings have significant implications for various contractual transactions, aiming to illuminate how people interpret the law, conceptualize their rights and obligations, and how social and moral norms intersect with legal rules.