Morally questionable decisions by groups: Guilt sharing and its underlying motives

Eberhard Feess (), Florian Kerzenmacher and Gerd Muehlheusser

Games and Economic Behavior, 2023, vol. 140, issue C, 380-400

Abstract: We conduct a theory-guided experiment where subjects are matched in groups of three and vote on a morally questionable decision. We find that the frequency of votes for this decision increases with the number of votes required for it (threshold effect). This effect persists even when only considering pivotal voters, who cannot rely on sufficiently many votes for the decision by other group members (thereby reaping a benefit without own moral costs). Our design allows us to attribute the threshold effect to guilt sharing. A series of novel treatments then identifies shared responsibility and a preference for group consensus as independent motives contributing to guilt sharing.

Keywords: Group decisions; Unethical behavior; Experiment; Voting; Diffusion of responsibility; Guilt sharing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C92 D02 D63 D71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:140:y:2023:i:c:p:380-400

DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2023.04.005

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