Experimental Design
Allocators will decide how to allocate 6 additional tasks between two workers (Worker 1 and Worker 2).
The two workers are randomly endowed with a different number of initial tasks, such that Worker 1 is endowed with exactly 2 more tasks than Worker 2. The task allocations take place across two distinct information environments: Visible (where workers can observe both their own and their peer's assigned tasks) and Hidden (where tasks are not visible to the peers). While the allocator can always observe the full number of tasks assigned to both workers, the workers can only observe their peer's workload when those tasks land in the Visible domain.
To evaluate the effect of visibility, we compare how allocators choose to distribute these additional tasks when they assign only to the visible domain versus a numerically identical yet hidden task domain.
Allocators will make twelve distinct allocation decisions. In each decision, they must choose between three mutually exclusive options to distribute the 6 additional tasks:
• Favor 2 (Total Task Equality): Assign 2 tasks to Worker 1 and 4 tasks to Worker 2. This option completely removes the baseline endowment workload inequality, resulting in equal final cumulative workloads.
• Equal (Maintains Current Inequality): Equally split the 6 tasks (3 to Worker 1, 3 to Worker 2). This option preserves the initial baseline endowment inequality.
• Favor 1 (Exaggerated Inequality): Assign 4 tasks to Worker 1 and 2 tasks to Worker 2. This option actively exacerbates the initial baseline endowment inequality.