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Asymmetric Inequality Aversion and Noisy Behavior in Alternating-Offer Bargaining Games

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Author Info
Jacob K. Goeree ()
Charles A. Holt ()

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Abstract

In two-stage bargaining games with alternating offers, the amount of the pie that remains after a rejection is what the first player should offer to the second player, since the second player can capture this remainder in the final (ultimatum) stage. Fairness considerations will reduce the correlation between first-stage offers and the size of the remaining pie, but randomness in behavior will have the same "flattening" effect. This paper reports an experiment designed to separate these considerations, by introducing asymmetric fixed money payments to each player. These endowments do not affect the perfect positive correlation between initial Nash offers and the remaining pie, but are selected to induce a perfectly negative relationship between the remaining pie size and the first-stage offer that would equalize final earnings of the two players. This negative relationship is apparent in the data, which suggests the importance of fairness considerations. A theoretical model of asymmetric inequality aversion and stochastic choice is used to provide maximum likelihood estimates of utility and logit error parameters. The parameters representing "envy," "guilt," and logit errors are all significant, and the resulting model produces the observed negative relationship between initial offers and residual pie size.

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Paper provided by University of Virginia, Department of Economics in its series Virginia Economics Online Papers with number 329.

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Length: 13 pages
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Handle: RePEc:vir:virpap:329

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Related research
Keywords: bargaining; ultimatum game; bounded rationality; logit equilibrium; fairness; equity aversion; endowment effects; envy; guilt;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Charles A. Holt & Jacob K. Goeree, 1999. "Stochastic Game Theory: For Playing Games, Not Just for Doing Theory," Virginia Economics Online Papers 306, University of Virginia, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. C. Monica Capra et al., 1999. "Anomalous Behavior in a Traveler's Dilemma?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 678-690, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. James Andreoni & Emily Blanchard, 2006. "Testing subgame perfection apart from fairness in ultimatum games," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 307-321, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Mark Pingle and Leigh Tesfatsion, 2001. "Unemployment Insurance and the Evolution of Worker-Employer\n Cooperation: Experiments with Real and Artificial Agents," Computing in Economics and Finance 2001 279, Society for Computational Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Charles Bellemare & Sabine Kröger & Arthur van Soest, 2005. "Actions and Beliefs: Estimating Distribution-Based Preferences Using a Large Scale Experiment with Probability Questions on Expectations," IZA Discussion Papers 1666, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Jacob K. Goeree & Charles A. Holt & Thomas R. Palfrey, 2000. "Quantal Response Equilibrium and Overbidding in Private-Value Auctions," Virginia Economics Online Papers 345, University of Virginia, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. John C. Driscoll & Steinar Holden, 2003. "Coordination, fair treatment and inflation persistence," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2003-34, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Simon P. Anderson & Jacob K. Goeree & Charles A. Holt, 1999. "The Logit Equilibrium: A Perspective on Intuitive Behavioral Anomalies," Virginia Economics Online Papers 332, University of Virginia, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Philip A. Haile & Ali Hortacsu & Grigory Kosenok, 0820. "On the Empirical Content of Quantal Response Equilibrium," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1432R, Cowles Foundation, Yale University, revised Jun 0820. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Carlsson, Fredrik & Daruvala, Dinky & Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2001. "Are People Inequality Averse Or Just Risk Averse?," Working Papers in Economics 43, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Christian Ewerhart, . "The Effect of Sunk Costs on the Outcome of Alternating-Offers Bargaining between Inequity-Averse Agents," IEW - Working Papers iewwp203, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  10. Lisa Anderson & Jennifer Mellor & Jeffrey Milyo, 2006. "Induced heterogeneity in trust experiments," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 223-235, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. David Bullock & E. Rutström, 2007. "Policy making and rent-dissipation: An experimental test," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 21-36, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Olivier Armantier, 2006. "Do Wealth Differences Affect Fairness Considerations?," CIRANO Working Papers 2006s-13, CIRANO. [Downloadable!]
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  13. Alessandro Tavoni, 2009. "Incorporating Fairness Motives into the Impulse Balance Equilibrium and Quantal Response Equilibrium Concepts: An Application to 2x2 Games," Working Papers 2009.40, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
  14. Jacob K. Goeree & Charles A. Holt, 2000. "Ten Little Treasures of Game Theory and Ten Intuitive Contradictions," Virginia Economics Online Papers 333, University of Virginia, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. Olivier Armantier, 2001. "Does Wealth Affect Fairness Considerations?," Department of Economics Working Papers 01-05, Stony Brook University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  16. Ernst Fehr & Klaus M. Schmidt, . "Fairness, Incentives, and Contractual Choices," IEW - Working Papers iewwp020, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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