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Naive Responses to Kind Delegation

Author

Listed:
  • Gerald Eisenkopf

    (Department of Economics, University of Konstanz, Germany)

  • Urs Fischbacher

    (Department of Economics, University of Konstanz, Germany)

Abstract

People do not like to delegate the distribution of favors. To explain this reluctance we disentangle reward motives in an experiment, in which an investor can directly transfer money to a trustee or delegate this decision to another investor. Varying the transfer values of investor and delegate, we find that the trustee’s rewards follow a rather simple pattern. In all situations, both investors are rewarded, but the person who ultimately decides gets a higher reward. Unlike studies on the punishment of delegated unkind decisions our results do not reveal sophisticated reward behavior that takes the responsibility of people into account.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald Eisenkopf & Urs Fischbacher, 2012. "Naive Responses to Kind Delegation," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2012-19, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    • Handle: RePEc:knz:dpteco:1219
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Argenton, Cedric & Potters, Jan & Yang, Yadi, 2023. "Receiving credit: On delegation and responsibility," Other publications TiSEM 1d0b8aec-7255-4e81-a5bc-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Kandul, Serhiy & Kirchkamp, Oliver, 2018. "Do I care if others lie? Current and future effects when lies can be delegated," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 70-78.
    3. Argenton, Cédric & Potters, Jan & Yang, Yadi, 2023. "Receiving credit: On delegation and responsibility," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Serhiy Kandul & Oliver Kirchkamp, 2016. "Do I care if others lie? Current and future effects of delegation of lying," Jena Economics Research Papers 2016-011, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    5. Gawn, Glynis & Innes, Robert, 2019. "Lying through others: Does delegation promote deception?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 59-73.
    6. Thomas Markussen & Louis Putterman & Liangjun Wang, 2023. "Algorithmic Leviathan or Individual Choice: Choosing Sanctioning Regimes in the Face of Observational Error," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(357), pages 315-338, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Delegation; trust; reciprocity; intentions; experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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