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Self-serving bias in redistribution choices: Accounting for beliefs and norms
Amasino,Dianna R. Pace,Davide Domenico van der Weele,Joel
Amasino,Dianna R.
Pace,Davide Domenico
van der Weele,Joel
Abstract
We explore the psychological mechanisms underlying self-serving redistribution decisions in an experimental setting. This self-serving bias in redistribution has been attributed not only to self-interest, but also to constructs such as differing beliefs about the hard work or luck underlying inequality, differing fairness views, and differing perceptions of social norms. In this study, we directly measure each of these potential mechanisms and compare their mediating roles in the relationship between status and redistribution. In our experiment, participants complete real-effort tasks and then are randomly assigned a high or low pay rate per correct answer to exogenously induce (dis)advantaged status. Participants are then paired and those assigned the role of dictator decide how to divide their joint earnings. We find that advantaged dictators keep more for themselves than disadvantaged dictators and report different fairness views and beliefs about task performance, but not different perceptions of social norms. Further, only fairness views play a significant mediating role between status and allocation differences, suggesting this is the primary mechanism underlying self-serving differences in support for redistribution.
Description
Funding Information: Joël van der Weele gratefully acknowledges funding by the NWO, Netherlands in the context of VIDI grant 452-17-004. Davide Domenico Pace gratefully acknowledges financial support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany through CRC TRR 190 (project number 280092119).
Date
2023
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Publisher
Research Projects
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Keywords
Fairness, Norms, Online experiments, Redistribution, Self-serving bias
Citation
Amasino, D R, Pace, D D & van der Weele, J 2023, 'Self-serving bias in redistribution choices : Accounting for beliefs and norms', Journal of Economic Psychology, vol. 98, 102654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2023.102654