Status Inequality, Moral Disengagement and Violence

Armin Falk

No 1676, Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin from DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research

Abstract: This paper studies the causal effect of status differences on moral disengagement and violence. To measure violent behavior, in the experiment, a subject can inflict a painful electric shock on another subject in return for money. We exogenously vary relative status in the realm of sexual attractiveness. In three between-subject conditions, the assigned other subject is either of higher, lower or equal status. The incidence of electric shocks is substantially higher among subjects matched with higher- and lower-status others, relative to subjects matched with equal-status others. This causal evidence on the role of status inequality on violence suggests an important societal cost of economic and social inequalities.

Keywords: Morality; violence; status; inequality; laboratory experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 C91 D03 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 p.
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Status Inequality, Moral Disengagement and Violence (2017)
Working Paper: Status Inequality, Moral Disengagement and Violence (2017)
Working Paper: Status Inequality, Moral Disengagement and Violence (2017)
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