Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field: An Experiment in Public Transportation

Zhixin Dai (), Fabio Galeotti and Marie Claire Villeval
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Zhixin Dai: China Financial Policy Research Center, School of Finance, Renmin University of China, Be¼ing 100872, China, Univ Lyon, CNRS, GATE, Ecully F-69130, France

Management Science, 2018, vol. 64, issue 3, 1081-1100

Abstract: We conduct an artefactual field experiment using a diversified sample of passengers of public transportation to study attitudes toward dishonesty. We find that the diversity of behavior in terms of (dis)honesty in laboratory tasks and in the field correlate. Moreover, individuals who have just been fined in the field behave more honestly in the lab than the other fare dodgers, except when context is introduced. Overall, we show that simple tests of dishonesty in the lab can predict moral firmness in life, although fraudsters who care about social image cheat less when behavior can be verified ex post by the experimenter.

Keywords: dishonesty; fare dodging; field experiment; external validity; public transportation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (102)

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https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2616 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field: An experiment in public transportations (2018)
Working Paper: Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field: An Experiment in Public Transportations (2016)
Working Paper: Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field: An Experiment in Public Transportations (2016)
Working Paper: Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field An Experiment in Public Transportations (2016)
Working Paper: Cheating in the Lab Predicts Fraud in the Field: An Experiment in Public Transportations (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:64:y:2018:i:3:p:1081-1100

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