The Limits of Transparency: Pitfalls and Potential of Disclosing Conflicts of Interest

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2011
Volume: 101
Issue: 3
Pages: 423-28

Authors (3)

George Loewenstein (Carnegie Mellon University) Daylian M. Cain (not in RePEc) Sunita Sah (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We review evidence from our published and ongoing research that disclosing conflicts of interest has unintended consequences, helping conflicted advisors and harming their advisees: With disclosure, advisors feel comfortable giving more biased advice, but advisees do not properly adjust for this and generally fail to sufficiently discount biased advice. Disclosure also increases pressure on advisees to comply with advice; following disclosure, advisees feel more uncomfortable in turning down advice (e.g., it signals distrust of the advisor's motives). Finally, we examine the effectiveness of policy interventions aimed at reducing these unintended consequences and discuss how to realize potential benefits of disclosure.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:101:y:2011:i:3:p:423-28
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25