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Theft in South Africa: An Experiment to Examine the Influence of Racial Identity and Inequality

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  • Clinton J. Pecenka
  • Godfrey Kundhlande

Abstract

This article uses a dictator game to determine the impact of racial identity and inequality on theft in South Africa. A dictator can take money from a receiver's endowment. The money vulnerable to theft is constant across groups, and there is no threat of punishment. Any differential in the amount taken is due to considerations of the racial identity of the potential victim or to variation in receiver endowments. The results provide weak evidence that theft is impacted by inequality. However, racial identity significantly influences theft decisions. Contrary to expectations, black participants take 15 per cent more from other black participants.

Suggested Citation

  • Clinton J. Pecenka & Godfrey Kundhlande, 2013. "Theft in South Africa: An Experiment to Examine the Influence of Racial Identity and Inequality," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(5), pages 737-753, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:49:y:2013:i:5:p:737-753
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2012.754431
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    1. Ashraf, Nava & Bohnet, Iris & Piankov, Nikita, 2003. "Is Trust a Bad Investment?," Working Paper Series rwp03-047, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    2. Simon Halliday, 2011. "Rarer Actions: Giving and Taking in Third-Party Punishment Games," SALDRU Working Papers 62, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    3. Carter, Michael R. & Castillo, Marco, 2003. "An Experimental Approach to Social Capital in South Africa," Staff Paper Series 448, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    4. Jakiela, Pamela, 2015. "How fair shares compare: Experimental evidence from two cultures," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 40-54.
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    Cited by:

    1. Christoph Engel, 2016. "Experimental Criminal Law. A Survey of Contributions from Law, Economics and Criminology," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2016_07, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    2. Marco Faillo & Matteo Rizzolli & Stephan Tontrup, 2016. "Thou shalt not steal (from hard-working people)An experiment on respect for property claims," Econometica Working Papers wp58, Econometica.
    3. Bonick, Matthew & Farfan-Vallespin, Antonio, 2018. "The Reversal of Fortune, Extractive Institution and the Historical Roots of Racism," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181569, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Faillo, Marco & Rizzolli, Matteo & Tontrup, Stephan, 2019. "Thou shalt not steal: Taking aversion with legal property claims," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 88-101.
    5. Chisadza, Carolyn & Nicholls, Nicky & Yitbarek, Eleni, 2021. "Group identity in fairness decisions: Discrimination or inequality aversion?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Clinton J. Pecenka & Godfrey Kundhlande, 2014. "Theft, Gift-Giving, and Reciprocity: A South African Experiment," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(11), pages 1467-1481, November.
    7. Tom Lane, 2015. "Discrimination in the laboratory: a meta-analysis," Discussion Papers 2015-03, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    8. Bonick, Matthew & Farfán-Vallespín, Antonio, 2016. "On the origin and consequences of racism," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 02-2016, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.

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