Letting off Steam! Experimental Evidence on Inappropriate Punishment
Aggression is displaced when provocations cannot be directly retaliated against and when it is redirected towards a target innocent of any wrongdoing. While this phenomenon is widespread, it has not been widely explored in experimental economics. We fill this gap and find that a sizeable proportion...
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| Published in: | MAGKS - Joint Discussion Paper Series in Economics (Band 39-2020) |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Philipps-Universität Marburg
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | PDF Full Text |
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| Summary: | Aggression is displaced when provocations cannot be directly retaliated against and when it is redirected towards a target innocent of any wrongdoing. While this phenomenon is widespread, it has not been widely explored in experimental economics. We fill this gap and find that a sizeable proportion of subjects (37%), when treated unfairly, punish co-players who are not at all responsible for the unfairness. When in a disadvantaged position, inequity-aversion seems to be the driving force of punishment, yet when treated fairly, some subjects (17%) exhibit status-seeking behavior. Moreover, students affiliated with an armed forces university are much more likely than regular students to engage in displaced aggression. |
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| Physical Description: | 26 Pages |
| ISSN: | 1867-3678 |
| DOI: | 10.17192/es2024.0665 |