A Study on Fairness Preferences

Last registered on October 07, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
A Study on Fairness Preferences
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013830
Initial registration date
September 24, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 07, 2024, 6:53 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Norway
Region
Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Simon Cordes
Affiliation
University of Bonn
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Teodora Boneva
PI Affiliation
University of Bonn

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-09-27
End date
2026-09-25
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
C91, D63, D91, H23
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In an online survey experiment in two countries (United States and Norway), we investigate impartial spectators' fairness preferences for 5 different sources of inequality. Spectators are asked to redistribute earnings between worker pairs, who were recruited through the experimental economics laboratory of the University of Bonn.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Boneva, Teodora and Simon Cordes. 2024. "A Study on Fairness Preferences." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13830-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Within each country (US and Norway), respondents are randomly assigned into one of five treatment conditions: Genes, Ability, Combined, Effort, and Luck. The treatments differ in the source of inequality that determines the initial payments assigned to two workers.

For a more detailed description, see the pre-analysis plan.
Intervention Start Date
2024-09-27
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Share of total worker-pair income allocated by the spectator to Worker A, i.e., the worker with the higher initial payment.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Our secondary outcome of interest is the inequality implemented by the spectators: the absolute difference between the income of worker A and the income of worker B, divided by 6. This inequality measure is equivalent to the Gini coefficient.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We use a worker-spectator design to measure fairness preferences for 5 different sources of economic inequality.
Experimental Design Details
We use a worker-spectator design to measure fairness preferences for 5 different sources of economic inequality, specifically cognitive ability, genetic endowment, cognitive ability & genetic endowment (combined), effort, and luck.

Worker Stage: We recruited 250 workers through the BonnEconLab, the experimental economics laboratory at the University of Bonn. Workers engage in a real-effort task and a task that measures cognitive ability. We further collect saliva samples to calculate polygenic scores for intelligence. The workers are assigned to 125 pairs.

Spectator Stage: We recruit participants from the United States on Prolific and from Norway using a similar provider, e.g., Norstat. We then give participants the opportunity to redistribute initial payments between worker pairs. 125 spectators are randomly selected and their allocation decisions are implemented accordingly.

In a between-subject design, participants are randomized into one of five conditions, which are described in more detail in the pre-analysis plan.
Randomization Method
Randomization is carried out via the Qualtrics survey platform.
Randomization Unit
Within each country, the randomization is performed at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Within each country, the randomization is performed at the individual level.
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000 respondents from the United States and 2000 respondents from Norway
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Roughly 400 participants per treatment and country.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethikkommission, Medizinische Fakultät, University of Bonn
IRB Approval Date
2024-04-02
IRB Approval Number
2024-56-BO
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials