摘要：We study a model of adverse selection, hard and soft information, and mentalizing ability—the human capacity to represent others' intentions, knowledge, and beliefs. By allowing for a continu- ous range of different information types, as well as for different means of acquiring information, we develop a model that captures how principals differentially obtain information on agents. We show that principals that combine conventional data collec tion techniques with mentalizing ben- efit from a synergistic effect that impacts both the amount of information that is accessed and the overall cost of that information. This strategy affects the properties of the optimal contract, which grows closer to the first best. This research provides insights into the implications of mentalizing for agency theory
关键词：Adverse selection; mentalizing; hard information; soft information; contract
