Shifting Blame and Taking Credit

Last registered on December 19, 2022

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Shifting Blame and Taking Credit
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005640
Initial registration date
April 14, 2020

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
April 14, 2020, 12:34 PM EDT

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

Last updated
December 19, 2022, 3:51 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
BI Norwegian Business School

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Aarhus University
PI Affiliation
University of Konstanz

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-06-01
End date
2023-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study when and how local politicians shift the blame for negative policy outcomes and take credit for positive outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bækgaard, Martin, Benny Geys and Nanna Lauritz Schönhage. 2022. "Shifting Blame and Taking Credit." AEA RCT Registry. December 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5640-1.2
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Interventions in terms of electoral relevance and policy outcome.
Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date
2020-11-01
Intervention End Date
2020-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Politicians' blame-shifting and credit-taking, measured by ranking of who holds responsibility for (experimentally manipulated) policy outcomes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants randomly allocated in a 2x2 experimental design with variation in terms of electoral relevance and policy outcome.
Experimental Design Details
Participants will be randomly allocated in a 2x2 experimental design:
1. Two groups varying policy outcomes' electoral relevance: Explicit information about policy importance to the electorate versus no further information
2. Two groups varying in policy outcomes: positive versus negative frame for performance information
Randomization Method
Randomization done by computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1200 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
1200 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 individuals per treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
ETHISCHE COMMISSIE HUMANE WETENSCHAPPEN Vrije Universiteit Brussel
IRB Approval Date
2020-11-23
IRB Approval Number
ECHW_224.02

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