Referee Bias

Thomas Dohmen and Jan Sauermann

No 8857, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper surveys the empirical literature on the behavior of referees in professional football and other sports. Referees are typically appointed by a principal to be impartial, especially when unbiased referee judgment is vital for the accomplishment of the principal's objective. Answering whether referees make biased decisions and understanding the causes that lead referees to digress from their principal duty of impartiality is therefore fundamental from a theoretical point of view. At the same time, assessing the prevalence and origin of referee bias is germane to various domains of life. Referee bias is particularly relevant in sports, where partial decision-making can determine competition outcomes, which can have strong repercussions on athletes' careers and supporters' well-being.

Keywords: favoritism; referee bias; social pressure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D8 L83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2015-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-spo
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published - published in: Journal of Economic Surveys , 2016, 30 (4), 679-695

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Related works:
Journal Article: REFEREE BIAS (2016)
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