Luck-based versus merit-based income shifts fairness perceptions and promotes cooperation in a public goods game.
We experimentally study the impact of merit- and luck-based inequalities on cooperative behaviour and fairness perceptions. Using a sample from non-student populations (N = 542), we examine behaviour in one-shot public good games (PGG) in treatments where individuals' income is randomly allocated (...
| Publicado en: | Oxford Economic Papers Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 335 - 350 |
|---|---|
| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
| Publicado: |
Oxford University Press / USA
Apr2026
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=194211909&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 194211909 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00307653 OXE jtl: Oxford Economic Papers issn: 00307653 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2026 vid: 78 iid: 2 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 194211909 10.1093/oep/gpaf033 ppf: 335 ppct: 15 formats: tig: atl: Luck-based versus merit-based income shifts fairness perceptions and promotes cooperation in a public goods game. aug: au: Drouvelis, Michalis Qiu, Zeyu affil: Department of Economics, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United KingdomCESifo, Munich, Germany Department of Economics and Public Policy, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom su: Income inequality Cooperation Prosocial behavior Fairness Public goods Experimental economics sug: subj: Income inequality Cooperation Prosocial behavior Fairness Public goods Experimental economics keyword: C92 cooperation copyrightHolder:Oxford University Press copyrightYear:2026 D07 fairness perceptions H41 income inequality inLanguage:en online experiment publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpaf033 sources of inequality C92 cooperation copyrightHolder:Oxford University Press copyrightYear:2026 D07 fairness perceptions H41 income inequality inLanguage:en online experiment publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpaf033 sources of inequality ab: We experimentally study the impact of merit- and luck-based inequalities on cooperative behaviour and fairness perceptions. Using a sample from non-student populations (N = 542), we examine behaviour in one-shot public good games (PGG) in treatments where individuals' income is randomly allocated ('Luck') or performance dependent ('Merit'). In line with our theoretical framework, we find that groups with merit-based inequality contribute less to the public goods than groups with luck-based inequality. To explore the underlying mechanism, we elicit fairness judgments from the perspective of a neutral, uninvolved arbitrator. Individuals in groups with merit-based inequality perceive it fairer to cooperate less, and these fairness perceptions account for their lower contributions. The effect on cooperation and fairness perceptions is driven primarily by rich individuals in merit-based societies. Our findings provide causal evidence that the source of inequality shapes cooperation through perceived fairness, with important implications for policy making targeted at promoting public good contributions. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|