Honesty nudges: Effect varies with content but not with timing

Benoît Le Maux (benoit.le-maux@univ-rennes1.fr) and Sarah Necker
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Benoît Le Maux: CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: We use a ten-round online mind game to determine whether the effect of honesty nudges depends on timing and content. Reminding individuals about the right thing to do increases honesty. Including information that it is possible to assess an individual's dishonesty strengthens the effect of the intervention. Both types of intervention are similarly effective when they take place before an individual has made any decision or after individuals have played five rounds of the mind game. Nudging an individual after they have made five decisions allows us to add personalized information based on the individual's previous response; however, this does not increase honesty. Examining the reaction to nudges based on previous behavior shows that (presumably) honest and dishonest individuals respond by reducing overreporting. The effect of the different nudge content is driven by those previously dishonest.

Keywords: Dishonesty; lying; cheating; honesty nudge; moral reminder; deterrence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2023, 207, pp.433-456. ⟨10.1016/j.jebo.2023.01.011⟩

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Journal Article: Honesty nudges: Effect varies with content but not with timing (2023)
Working Paper: Honesty Nudges: Effect Varies with Content but Not with Timing (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04037884

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2023.01.011

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