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Social Preferences? Google Answers!

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Author Info
Tobias Regner () (Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena)
Abstract

We analyse pricing, effort and tipping decisions in the online service "Google Answers" While users set a price for the answer to their question ex ante, they can additionally give a tip to the researcher ex post. In line with the related experimental literature we find evidence that tipping is motivated by reciprocity, but also by reputation concerns among frequent users. Moreover, researchers seem to adjust their effort based on the user's previous tipping behaviour. An efficient sorting takes place when enough tip history is available. Users known for tipping in the past receive higher effort answers, while users with an established reputation for non-tipping tend to get low effort answers. In addition, we analyse how tipping is adopted when the behavioural default is not to tip and estimate minimum levels for the fraction of genuine reciprocator and imitator types.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics, Thueringer Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek in its series Jena Economic Research Papers in Economics with number 2009-035.

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Date of creation: 11 May 2009
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Handle: RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2009-035

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Web page: http://www.jenecon.de

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Related research
Keywords: social preferences; reciprocity; moral hazard; reputation; Internet; psychological game theory;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
C24 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models
C70 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - General
C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information
L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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This page was last updated on 2009-11-18.

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