Power distance and dishonest behavior

Qian Cao, Jianbiao Li, Xiaofei Niu and Chengkang Zhu

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2025, vol. 230, issue C

Abstract: Despite an extensive literature on the determinants of dishonesty, our understanding of how cultural values influence such behavior is limited. To address this gap, we conduct experiments to examine whether power distance, a cultural dimension identified by Hofstede (1984) and defined as the extent to which an individual accepts that power is unequally distributed, affects dishonest behavior. We find that power distance is not only positively correlated with dishonest behavior at both the individual and the country level, but also causally affects the likelihood of engaging in dishonest behavior. Our findings shed light on the role of cultural values in dishonest behavior.

Keywords: Cultural values; Power distance; Dishonest behavior; Social norms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:230:y:2025:i:c:s0167268125000034

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2025.106883

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