The effect of observing multiple private information outcomes on the inclination to cheat

C-Tier
Journal: Economic Inquiry
Year: 2024
Volume: 62
Issue: 2
Pages: 543-562

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

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

Abstract

We investigate how the inclination to cheat changes when agents report the result of multiple realizations of a (private information) stochastic event rather than a single outcome. Multiple realizations render extreme outcomes unlikely, facilitating the identification of opportunistic behaviors and exposing to reputation concerns the individuals who report them. Consequently, multiple realizations lead to a significant reduction of cheating by large amounts. Simultaneously multiple realizations also diminish the intrinsic cost of lying, thereby inducing a widespread inclination to adjust upward the observed outcome in a plausible manner. The overall effect is only a marginal decrease in the degree of cheating.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:ecinqu:v:62:y:2024:i:2:p:543-562
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25