Self-serving Dictators

Geir B. Asheim, Leif Helland, Jon Hovi and Bjorn Hoyland

Memo 26/2008

Last ned memo

We provide experimental evidence of self-serving fairness ideals in a dictator game design that includes treatments where funds can be transferred in two ways to the one player and in one way to the other. Two methods for transferring funds to the recipient produce the same results as the regular dictator game. However, two methods for transferring funds to the dictator reduce her generosity significantly. Hence, the fairness ideal adopted by dictators appears to be equal share per individual in the former case (as in the regular dictator game), and equal share per transfer method in the latter case.
 

Published June 20, 2014 10:25 AM - Last modified Mar. 27, 2024 5:49 AM