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Individual sense of fairness: an experimental study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Edi Karni,
Tim Salmon and
Barry Sopher
Edi Karni*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Mergenthaler 469, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Tim Salmon*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2180, USA
Barry Sopher*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Rutgers, The State University, 75 Hamilton St., NJ Hall Room 202, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1248, USA
*
e-mail: karni@jhu.edu
e-mail: tsalmon@fsu.edu
e-mail: sopher@economics.rutgers.edu
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Abstract

Many prior studies have identified that subjects in experiments demonstrate preferences for fair allocations. We present an experimental study designed to test whether a similar concern for fairness manifests itself when the decision maker is choosing among differing probabilistic allocation mechanisms that will all generate an ex post unfair allocation by assigning an indivisible prize to one individual. This investigation is inspired by Karni and Safra (Econometrica, 70, 263-284, 2002) in which a structure for preferences for fairness in such an environment was developed. Here we use this model to design experiments that allow us to test for the presence of concern for fairness in individual choice behavior and examine some factors that may affect the intensity of the concern for fairness.

Keywords

Dictator gamePreferences for fairnessChoise under uncertainty

JEL classification

D63: Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and MeasurementC91: Laboratory, Individual Behavior

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Economics , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 2008, pp. 174 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Economic Science Association

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Footnotes

Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10683-007-9165-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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