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Enumerating Rights: More is Not Always Better

Author

Listed:
  • Ball, Sheryl

    (Virginia Tech University)

  • Dave, Chetan

    (University of Alberta, Department of Economics)

  • Dodds, Stefan

    (University of Winnipeg)

Abstract

Policy debates increasingly employ the language of ‘rights’: how they are assigned and what entitlements individuals in a society are due. In designing present day constitutions for transitional democracies, framers face the issue of whether to formally codify rights or not. We design and implement a novel experiment to test whether social cooperation depends on the assignment of individual rights, by framing the right of subjects to take a particular action either positively or negatively. We find that when rights are framed positively, there exists an ‘entitlement effect’ that reduces social cooperation levels and crowds-out the tendency of individuals to act pro-socially.

Suggested Citation

  • Ball, Sheryl & Dave, Chetan & Dodds, Stefan, 2019. "Enumerating Rights: More is Not Always Better," Working Papers 2019-11, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:albaec:2019_011
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    File URL: https://sites.ualberta.ca/~econwps/2019/wp2019-11.pdf
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    Keywords

    Constitutional Design; Coase Theorem; Framing; Preferences; Rights; Battle of the Sexes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies

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