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THE MORAL COSTS OF NASTINESS
Author(s) -
ABBINK KLAUS,
HERRMANN BENEDIKT
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
economic inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1465-7295
pISSN - 0095-2583
DOI - 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2010.00309.x
Subject(s) - economics , stochastic game , microeconomics , one shot , mathematical economics , engineering , mechanical engineering
We introduce two variants of the one‐shot joy‐of‐destruction minigame (mini‐JOD). Two players are endowed with the same amount of money. They simultaneously decide whether or not to reduce the other player's payoff at an own cost. In one treatment there was a probability that nature would destroy the opponent's money anyway. We test whether this feature reduces the moral costs of nastiness, and find that destruction rates rise significantly, despite the absence of strategic reasons. ( JEL C72, C91, D03)