Social status and motivated beliefs

Victor Gonzalez-Jimenez

Journal of Public Economics, 2022, vol. 211, issue C

Abstract: This paper shows that social status determines economic achievement through a psychological mechanism. Specifically, social status influences the way individuals form beliefs about their abilities and these beliefs are, in turn, crucial for achievement. A theoretical framework formalizes this mechanism. Data from a cohort study and from two controlled experiments corroborate its existence and quantify its magnitude. This study highlights the role of social status in creating constraints that are internal to the individual and that have the potential to impair economic success.

Keywords: Social Status; Beliefs; Economic Mobility; Economic Achievement; Experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D83 D91 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:211:y:2022:i:c:s0047272722000640

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104662

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