Pledges and how social influence shapes their effectiveness

Ann-Kathrin Koessler ()

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Pledges are used to signal the intention to act in a socially desirable way. In this study, we examine what role social influence plays in the decision to pledge. In a laboratory experiment, subjects can make a pledge to contribute to a public good in the socially optimal way. Across treatment conditions, we vary the way in which the pledges are elicited. Hence, the degree of social influence on pledge-making is manipulated and its impact can be examined. We find that when individuals are aware that the majority of other subjects decided to pledge, they are likely to conform and also make the pledge. The emergence of such a critical mass can be stimulated by (institutional) design, namely by determining the elicitation order on the basis of previous behavior. Overall, this commitment nudge is effective. Both socially-oriented and previously not socially-oriented subjects modify their behavior after the pledge.

Keywords: commitment; conformity; pledgeability; promise; public good; social dilemma; social influence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 C71 C91 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15 pages
Date: 2022-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-cdm and nep-exp
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published in Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 1, June, 2022, 98. ISSN: 2214-8043

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:114538

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