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Natural and Strategic Generosity as Signals of Trustworthiness

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  • Diego Gambetta
  • Wojtek Przepiorka

Abstract

We exploit the fact that generosity and trustworthiness are highly correlated and the former can thus be a sign of the latter. Subjects decide between a generous and a mean split in a dictator game. Some of them are informed from the start that afterwards they will participate in a trust game and that their choice in the dictator game may matter; others are not informed in advance. In the trust game, before trusters decide whether or not to trust, some trustees can reveal (or conceal) only their true choice in the dictator game, while others can say to trusters, truthfully or otherwise, what they chose. We find that a generous choice made naturally by uninformed trustees and reliably revealed is more effective in persuading trusters to trust than a generous choice that could be strategic or a lie. Moreover, we find that, when they can, mean subjects lie and go on to be untrustworthy.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Gambetta & Wojtek Przepiorka, 2014. "Natural and Strategic Generosity as Signals of Trustworthiness," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(5), pages 1-9, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0097533
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097533
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    Cited by:

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    2. Przepiorka, Wojtek, 2023. "Laboratory experiments," SocArXiv 9cxq2, Center for Open Science.
    3. Gambetta, Diego & Székely, Áron, 2014. "Signs and (counter)signals of trustworthiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 281-297.
    4. Fehrler, Sebastian & Przepiorka, Wojtek, 2016. "Choosing a partner for social exchange: Charitable giving as a signal of trustworthiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 157-171.
    5. Agarwal, Vikas & Lu, Yan & Ray, Sugata, 2021. "Are hedge funds' charitable donations strategic?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    6. Vincenz Frey, 2017. "Boosting trust by facilitating communication: A model of trustee investments in information sharing," Rationality and Society, , vol. 29(4), pages 471-503, November.
    7. Tomer Blumkin & Yoram Margalioth & Efraim Sadka & Adi Sharoni, 2019. "Charitable Constributions by Businesses: A Tax Policy Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 7836, CESifo.
    8. Agarwal, Vikas & Lu, Yan & Ray, Sugata, 2020. "Are hedge funds' charitable donations strategic?," CFR Working Papers 20-14, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    9. Wojtek Przepiorka & Andreas Diekmann, 2020. "Binding Contracts, Non-Binding Promises and Social Feedback in the Intertemporal Common-Pool Resource Game," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
    10. Joël Berger, 2017. "Are Luxury Brand Labels and “Green” Labels Costly Signals of Social Status? An Extended Replication," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, February.

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