Confidence and Career Choices: An Experiment

Kai Barron and Christina Gravert

Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2022, vol. 124, issue 1, 35-68

Abstract: Confidence is often seen as an important determinant of success. However, empirical evidence regarding the causal effect of confidence on choices is sparse. Using a stylized laboratory experiment, we examine the effect of an increase in confidence on two important labor market choices: (i) the amount of ability‐contingent earnings risk to take on, and (ii) the subsequent effort choice. We find that increased confidence leads subjects to take on more ability‐contingent earnings risk. However, effort levels are unaffected. Overall, the upward shift in confidence is detrimental for low‐ability workers as a result of high baseline levels of confidence.

Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/sjoe.12444

Related works:
Journal Article: Confidence and career choices: an experiment (2022)
Working Paper: Confidence and career choices: An experiment (2020)
Working Paper: Confidence and Career Choices: An Experiment (2019)
Working Paper: Confidence and career choices: An experiment (2019)
Working Paper: Confidence and Career Choices: An Experiment (2018)
Working Paper: Confidence and career choices: An experiment (2018)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:scandj:v:124:y:2022:i:1:p:35-68

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0347-0520

Access Statistics for this article

Scandinavian Journal of Economics is currently edited by Richard Friberg, Matti Liski and Kjetil Storesletten

More articles in Scandinavian Journal of Economics from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().