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The Size Of The Prize: Testing Rent-Dissipation When Transfer Quantity Is Endogenous

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  • Bullock, David S.
  • Rutstrom, Elisabet E.

Abstract

We present a transfer-seeking model of political economy in which the size of the transfer is determined endogenously, and in which over-dissipation of rents is predicted even under conditions of risk-neutrality and perfect rationality. We implement an empirical test of this model by collecting behavioral data in a laboratory experiment. We confirm the existence of behavior that leads to over-dissipation of rents in games with both symmetric and asymmetric political power. We also confirm the hypotheses that lowering the political power of one player can lead to smaller rent-seeking expenditures and to larger transfers. We observe behavior that deviates from dominant strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Bullock, David S. & Rutstrom, Elisabet E., 2001. "The Size Of The Prize: Testing Rent-Dissipation When Transfer Quantity Is Endogenous," 2001 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Chicago, IL 20447, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea01:20447
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.20447
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    Cited by:

    1. Garrett, Thomas A. & Marsh, Thomas L. & Marshall, Maria I., 2006. "Political allocation of US agriculture disaster payments in the 1990s," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 143-161, June.
    2. Einav Hart & Judith Avrahami & Yaakov Kareev, 2016. "Enlarging the market yet decreasing the profit: An experimental study of competitive behavior when investment affects the prize," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 11(4), pages 380-390, July.
    3. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:4:p:380-390 is not listed on IDEAS

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