Rewards and punishments: Informal contracting through social preferences

Détails

ID Serval
serval:BIB_C038669C16D8
Type
Article: article d'un périodique ou d'un magazine.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Titre
Rewards and punishments: Informal contracting through social preferences
Périodique
Theoretical Economics
Auteur⸱e⸱s
Chassang S., Zehnder C.
ISSN
1933-6837
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
09/2016
Volume
11
Numéro
3
Pages
1145-1179
Résumé
This paper develops a positive model of informal contracting in which rewards and punishments are not determined by an ex ante optimal plan but instead express the ex post moral sentiments of the arbitrating party. We consider a subjective performance evaluation problem in which a principal can privately assess the contribution of an agent to the welfare of a broader group. In the absence of formal contingent contracts, the principal chooses ex post transfers that maximize her social preferences. We characterize the incentives induced by the principal's preferences, contrast them with ex ante optimal contracts, and derive novel testable predictions about the way externalities are internalized in informal settings.
Mots-clé
Informal contracts, social preferences, fairness, intent-based justice, subjective performance evaluation, no punishment without guilt
Web of science
Open Access
Oui
Création de la notice
19/10/2017 14:16
Dernière modification de la notice
21/08/2019 6:15
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