Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis
Social preferences and social influence effects ("peer effects") are well documented, but little is known about how peers shape social preferences. Settings where social preferences matter are often situations where peer effects are likely too. In a gift-exchange experiment with independen...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2015
|
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28759/ |
| _version_ | 1848793637918343168 |
|---|---|
| author | Thöni, Christian Gaechter, Simon |
| author_facet | Thöni, Christian Gaechter, Simon |
| author_sort | Thöni, Christian |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Social preferences and social influence effects ("peer effects") are well documented, but little is known about how peers shape social preferences. Settings where social preferences matter are often situations where peer effects are likely too. In a gift-exchange experiment with independent payoffs between two agents we find causal evidence for peer effects. Efforts are positively correlated but with a kink: agents follow a low-performing but not a high-performing peer. This contradicts major theories of social preferences which predict that efforts are unrelated, or negatively related. Some theories allow for positively-related efforts but cannot explain most observations. Conformism, norm following and social esteem are candidate explanations. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:03:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-28759 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:03:28Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-287592020-05-04T20:08:37Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28759/ Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis Thöni, Christian Gaechter, Simon Social preferences and social influence effects ("peer effects") are well documented, but little is known about how peers shape social preferences. Settings where social preferences matter are often situations where peer effects are likely too. In a gift-exchange experiment with independent payoffs between two agents we find causal evidence for peer effects. Efforts are positively correlated but with a kink: agents follow a low-performing but not a high-performing peer. This contradicts major theories of social preferences which predict that efforts are unrelated, or negatively related. Some theories allow for positively-related efforts but cannot explain most observations. Conformism, norm following and social esteem are candidate explanations. Elsevier 2015-06 Article PeerReviewed Thöni, Christian and Gaechter, Simon (2015) Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis. Journal of Economic Psychology, 48 . pp. 72-88. ISSN 0167-4870 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2015.03.001 doi:10.1016/j.joep.2015.03.001 doi:10.1016/j.joep.2015.03.001 |
| spellingShingle | Thöni, Christian Gaechter, Simon Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title | Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title_full | Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title_fullStr | Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title_short | Peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| title_sort | peer effects and social preferences in voluntary cooperation: a theoretical and experimental analysis |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28759/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28759/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28759/ |