Competition between and within universities: Theoretical and experimental investigation of group identity and the desire to win

(Charlie) Chen, Zhuoqiong, David Ong () and Roman Sheremeta

Journal of Economic Psychology, 2022, vol. 93, issue C

Abstract: We study how group identity, based on university affiliation, impacts competitive behavior. Our experiment employs a simple all-pay auction within and between two university subject pools. Students within the lower-tier university bid more aggressively against each other than students within the top-tier university against each other. Lower-tier students, particularly females, bid more aggressively when competing against top-tier students. Interpreted through a theoretical model that incorporates both group identity and differential valuation of winning, our data indicate that students at the lower-tier university have a stronger group identity as well as a higher desire to win.

Keywords: Experiments; All-pay auction; Competitiveness; Group identity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D03 J7 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Competition Between and Within Universities: Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Group Identity and the Desire to Win (2015)
Working Paper: Competition Between and Within Universities: Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Group Identity and the Desire to Win (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:93:y:2022:i:c:s0167487022000630

DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2022.102551

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