Self-Selection into corruption: Evidence from the lab

Pablo Brassiolo, Ricardo Estrada, Gustavo Fajardo and Juan Vargas

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2021, vol. 192, issue C, 799-812

Abstract: We study whether opportunities to extract rents in a job affect the type of individuals who are attracted to it in terms of their underlying integrity. We do so in a laboratory experiment in which participants choose between two contracts that involve different tasks. We experimentally introduce the possibility of graft in one of them and study the sorting of subjects across contracts based on an incentivized measure of honesty. We find that the corruptible contract changes the composition of subjects attracting the most dishonest individuals and repelling the most honest ones. In addition, we observe extensive graft when the opportunity is available. Our results have clear policy implications to curb corruption.

Keywords: Corruption; Selection; Rent extraction opportunities; Personnel economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D73 M5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Self-Selection into Corruption: Evidence from the Lab (2020)
Working Paper: Self-Selection into Corruption: Evidence from the Lab (2020)
Working Paper: Self-Selection into Corruption: Evidence from the Lab (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:192:y:2021:i:c:p:799-812

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.11.001

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