Sorting in Experiments with Application to Social Preferences

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2012
Volume: 4
Issue: 1
Pages: 136-63

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Individuals sort into and out of economic environments based on their preferences and in response to relative prices. We demonstrate the importance of such sorting for the measurement of social preferences, using two laboratory experiments. First, allowing subjects to avoid environments in which sharing is possible significantly reduces sharing. This reveals the existence of a type of individual who shares reluctantly, preferring to avoid the opportunity to share. Second, after subsidizing the sharing environment, the aggregate amount shared increases, but less is shared, on average, by those who enter. Thus, subsidies intended to induce more sharing have weak effects since they attract those who share the least. (JEL C91, D12, D64)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:4:y:2012:i:1:p:136-63
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25