Vor­trag "Im­po­sing codes of good con­duct pro­mo­tes so­ci­al be­ha­vi­or" von Uwe Dul­leck

 |  Forschung - Research

Am 20. April 2015 (13-14 Uhr) hält <link http: staff.qut.edu.au staff dulleck external-link-new-window external link in new>Professor Uwe Dullek (Professor of Economics, Queensland University of Technology, Australia) eine Präsentation zum Thema  "Imposing codes of good conduct promotes social behavior" in Raum Q4.245. Im Anschluss steht Prof. Dulleck für Fragen zur Verfügung. 

Der Vortrag ist Teil der SEAM, Seminars in Economics and Management Vortragsreihe.

Abstract:        
In this article we study experimentally how public statements about future social behaviour,  used in oaths and code of conducts, affect individual decisions. While the literature focuses on bilateral interactions, we study a social dilemma situation.  We show that in such a context compulsory statements may be more effective than voluntary ones.
A large part of human activities rely on the compliance of individuals with certain behavioural standards, especially when material incentives for opportunistic behaviour are prevalent. Good academic conduct or ethical behaviour in positions of political or economic power are examples. Oaths or Codes of conduct have been proposed as an instrument to fight this social dilemma. In this article we test the effect of such statement of intent and distinguish between voluntary and compulsory statements.
Three effects are prevalent:  a selection effect, i.e.  people with  a general high propensity to contribute make a statement; a commitment effect, i.e.  people making the statement  increase their contribution; and a coordination effect, i.e. people increase their contributions due to the assurance that  the other players also pledged the statement. The comparison of voluntary and compulsory  statements shows, that the effect is strongest when the statement  is imposed on everyone, emphasizing the role the coordination effect  plays in social dilemma situations.