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People Are Conditional Rule Followers

Author

Listed:
  • Pieter Desmet

    (TU Delf)

  • Christoph Engel

    (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods)

Abstract

Experimental participants are more likely to follow an arbitrary rule the more of their peers do so as well. The difference between unconditional and conditional rule following is most pro-nounced for individuals who follow few rules unconditionally.

Suggested Citation

  • Pieter Desmet & Christoph Engel, 2017. "People Are Conditional Rule Followers," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2017_09, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
  • Handle: RePEc:mpg:wpaper:2017_09
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Christoph Engel, 2021. "Crime as Conditional Rule Violation," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2021_20, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    2. McBride, Michael & Ridinger, Garret, 2021. "Beliefs also make social-norm preferences social," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 765-784.
    3. Richard B. Freeman, 2022. "Planning for the “Expected Unexpected”: Work and Retirement in the U.S. After the COVID-19 Pandemic Shock," NBER Working Papers 29653, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    conditional rule following; deontological motives; conditional cooperation; experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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