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Reciprocity through ratings: An experimental study of bias in evaluations

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  • Halliday, Simon D.
  • Lafky, Jonathan

Abstract

This paper studies the potential for ratings of seller quality to be influenced by side payments to raters. In a laboratory setting, we find that even modest side payments from sellers to raters have large effects, with the type of rating (favorable or unfavorable) given to a seller determined primarily by how large a monetary transfer the seller makes to the rater. Our results demonstrate that side payments can crowd out a rater’s concern for buyers, even in situations where there is no potential for long-term relationship building.

Suggested Citation

  • Halliday, Simon D. & Lafky, Jonathan, 2019. "Reciprocity through ratings: An experimental study of bias in evaluations," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:83:y:2019:i:c:s2214804319302459
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2019.101480
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    Cited by:

    1. Britta Hoyer & Dirk van Straaten, 2021. "Anonymity and Self-Expression in Online Rating Systems - An Experimental Analysis," Working Papers Dissertations 70, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    2. Jonathan Lafky & Robin Ng, 2024. "Ratings with Heterogeneous Preferences," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2024_594, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    3. Johnen, Johannes & Ng, Robin, 2023. "Ratings and Reciprocity," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2023006, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    4. Hoyer, B. & van Straaten, D., 2022. "Anonymity and self-expression in online rating systems—An experimental analysis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ratings; Reciprocity; Punishment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D47 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Market Design
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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