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Moral Opinions are Conditional on the Behavior of Others

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  • Karen Evelyn Hauge

Abstract

In social dilemmas individual behavior creates external effects on others. In such situations, a person's opinions concerning right and wrong might influence his behavior. Understanding moral opinions therefore is important. This paper reports on an experiment which shows that moral opinions are conditional on the behavior of others. This is demonstrated by the finding that a large majority of subjects in a public good game experiment report personal normative beliefs that increase with the actual contributions made by group members. This finding is important for the design of policies attempting to sustain public good provisions.

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  • Karen Evelyn Hauge, 2015. "Moral Opinions are Conditional on the Behavior of Others," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 73(2), pages 154-175, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocec:v:73:y:2015:i:2:p:154-175
    DOI: 10.1080/00346764.2015.1035910
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, "undated". "Third Party Punishment and Social Norms," IEW - Working Papers 106, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
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    9. Nikiforakis, Nikos & Noussair, Charles N. & Wilkening, Tom, 2012. "Normative conflict and feuds: The limits of self-enforcement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(9-10), pages 797-807.
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    Cited by:

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