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Competition for Status Creates Superstars: an Experiment on Public Good Provision and Network Formation

Author

Listed:
  • Boris van Leeuwen
  • Theo Offerman
  • Arthur Schram

Abstract

We investigate a mechanism that facilitates the provision of public goods in a network formation game. We show how competition for status encourages a core player to realize efficiency gains for the entire group. In a laboratory experiment we systematically examine the effects of group size and exogenously monetarized status rents. The experimental results provide very clear support for the concept of challenge-freeness, a refinement that predicts when a repeated game equilibrium will be played, and if so which one. Two control treatments allow us to reject the possibility that these observations are driven by social preferences, independently of the competition for status.

Suggested Citation

  • Boris van Leeuwen & Theo Offerman & Arthur Schram, 2020. "Competition for Status Creates Superstars: an Experiment on Public Good Provision and Network Formation," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 666-707.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:18:y:2020:i:2:p:666-707.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvz001
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    Cited by:

    1. Dong, Lu & Huang, Lingbo & Lien, Jaimie W. & Zheng, Jie, 2024. "How alliances form and conflict ensues," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 255-276.
    2. Atabek Atayev & Maarten Janssen, 2024. "Information Acquisition And Diffusion In Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 65(2), pages 729-753, May.
    3. Kinateder, Markus & Merlino, Luca Paolo, 2023. "Free riding in networks," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    4. Gergely Horvath & Mofei Jia, 2024. "The impact of social status on the formation of collaborative ties and effort provision: An experimental study," Papers 2403.05830, arXiv.org.
    5. Zhang, Yang & He, Longfei, 2021. "Theory and experiments on network games of public goods: inequality aversion and welfare preference," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 326-347.
    6. Liu, Jia & Sonntag, Axel & Zizzo, Daniel John, 2022. "Information defaults in repeated public good provision," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 356-369.
    7. Chen, Ying & Lane, Tom & McDonald, Stuart, 2025. "Endogenous network formation in local public goods: An experimental analysis," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 198-214.
    8. Tambunlertchai, Kanittha & Pongkijvorasin, Sittidaj, 2021. "Regulatory stringency and behavior in a common pool resource game: Lab and field experiments," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    9. Liza Charroin, 2016. "The effect of sequentiality and heterogeneity in network formation games," Working Papers 1629, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon.
    10. Brown, Christopher L., 2024. "Team production in endogenous networks," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 560-580.
    11. Choi, S. & Goyal, S. & Guo, F. & Moisan, F., 2024. "Experimental Evidence on Group Size Effects in Network Formation Games," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2417, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    12. Antinyan, Armenak & Horváth, Gergely & Jia, Mofei, 2020. "Curbing the consumption of positional goods: Behavioral interventions versus taxation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1-21.
    13. He, Simin & Zou, Xinlu, 2024. "Public goods provision in a network formation game," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 104-131.
    14. Christoph Aymanns & Jakob Foerster & Co-Pierre Georg & Matthias Weber, 2017. "Fake News in Social Networks," Papers 1708.06233, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2025.
    15. repec:osf:socarx:y4mkd_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Horváth, Gergely & Jia, Mofei, 2024. "The impact of social status on the formation of collaborative ties and effort provision: An experimental study," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 113(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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