A reproduction and replication of Engel's meta-study of dictator game experiments

In this paper, we reproduce Engel's (2011) meta-study of dictator game experiments using his data, and then replicate it using our own data. We find that Engel's (2011) meta-study of dictator game experiments is quite robust. We show that metaanalyses of dictator game experiments depend to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhang, Lyla, Ortmann, A.
Format: Working Paper
Published: University of New South Wales 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=0691130041241191030681070171100030020390560570180540550951260680091100990680651020771020220160290190240160100920100040040670931230020270480850180260120650281
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/62227
Description
Summary:In this paper, we reproduce Engel's (2011) meta-study of dictator game experiments using his data, and then replicate it using our own data. We find that Engel's (2011) meta-study of dictator game experiments is quite robust. We show that metaanalyses of dictator game experiments depend to an extent on the definition of independent variables and consistent coding of studies. This insight pertains in particular to the take-option, which has produced important questions (Bardsley 2008; List 2007; Guala and Mittone 2010) about the epistemological inferences one can draw from dictator game experiments.