Misperceiving economic success: experimental evidence on meritocratic beliefs and inequality acceptance

Most people tend to equate success with merit, a tendency that is particularly pronounced among conservatives. However, in practice it is exceedingly difficult to discern the relative impact of luck and effort to economic success. Based on a large-scale online study that samples the general US popul...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fehr, Dietmar (Author) , Vollmann, Martin (Author)
Format: Book/Monograph Working Paper
Language:English
Published: Heidelberg Heidelberg University, Department of Economics [2020]
Series:AWI discussion paper series no. 695 (November 2020)
In: AWI discussion paper series (no. 695 (November 2020))

DOI:10.11588/heidok.00029071
Subjects:
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/29071/1/Fehr_Vollmann_2020_dp695.pdf
Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00029071
Resolving-System, kostenfrei: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/235018
Resolving-System, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-290719
Get full text
Author Notes:Dietmar Fehr, Martin Vollmann

MARC

LEADER 00000cam a2200000 c 4500
001 173856309X
003 DE-627
005 20241126224757.0
007 cr uuu---uuuuu
008 201112s2020 gw |||||o 00| ||eng c
024 7 |a urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-290719  |2 urn 
024 7 |a 10.11588/heidok.00029071  |2 doi 
024 7 |a 10419/235018  |2 hdl 
035 |a (DE-627)173856309X 
035 |a (DE-599)KXP173856309X 
040 |a DE-627  |b ger  |c DE-627  |e rda 
041 |a eng 
044 |c XA-DE 
084 |a 17  |2 sdnb 
084 |a C93  |a D63  |2 jelc 
100 1 |a Fehr, Dietmar  |e VerfasserIn  |0 (DE-588)124797237  |0 (DE-627)636702545  |0 (DE-576)186921489  |4 aut 
245 1 0 |a Misperceiving economic success  |b experimental evidence on meritocratic beliefs and inequality acceptance  |c Dietmar Fehr, Martin Vollmann 
264 1 |a Heidelberg  |b Heidelberg University, Department of Economics  |c [2020] 
300 |a 1 Online-Ressource (circa 64 Seiten)  |b Illustrationen 
336 |a Text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a Computermedien  |b c  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a Online-Ressource  |b cr  |2 rdacarrier 
490 1 |a AWI discussion paper series  |v no. 695 (November 2020) 
520 |a Most people tend to equate success with merit, a tendency that is particularly pronounced among conservatives. However, in practice it is exceedingly difficult to discern the relative impact of luck and effort to economic success. Based on a large-scale online study that samples the general US population, we investigate whether individuals misperceive the importance of luck for success, and how this mediates their meritocratic beliefs and acceptance of inequality. We randomly assign participants in pairs to compete in an easy or hard work assignment. The tasks are structured such that working on the easy work assignment almost certainly results in better performance and economic success. We show that economically successful participants overweight the role of effort in their success, perceiving high income as more deserved than unsuccessful participants. Subsequently, they demand less redistributive taxation, and they also show little interest in receiving information about the true determinants of their success. These general findings hold true regardless of political orientation. Successful liberals are as meritocratic as conservatives are, sharing the same beliefs in deservingness and preferences for low redistributive taxes. 
650 4 |a inequality  |7 (dpeaa)DE-206 
650 4 |a fairness  |7 (dpeaa)DE-206 
650 4 |a deservedness  |7 (dpeaa)DE-206 
650 4 |a political views  |7 (dpeaa)DE-206 
650 4 |a cognitive dissonance  |7 (dpeaa)DE-206 
655 4 |0 (DE-206)34  |a Graue Literatur  |5 DE-206 
700 1 |a Vollmann, Martin  |d 1989-  |e VerfasserIn  |0 (DE-588)1199506729  |0 (DE-627)1681807963  |4 aut 
830 0 |a AWI discussion paper series  |v no. 695 (November 2020)  |9 695  |w (DE-627)1741200679  |w (DE-600)3046500-X  |7 am 
856 4 0 |u http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/29071/1/Fehr_Vollmann_2020_dp695.pdf  |x Verlag  |z kostenfrei 
856 4 0 |u https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00029071  |x Resolving-System  |z kostenfrei 
856 4 0 |u http://hdl.handle.net/10419/235018  |x Resolving-System  |z kostenfrei 
856 4 0 |u https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-290719  |x Resolving-System  |z kostenfrei  |3 Volltext 
951 |a BO 
992 |a 20201117 
993 |a WorkingPaper 
994 |a 2020 
998 |g 1199506729  |a Vollmann, Martin  |m 1199506729:Vollmann, Martin  |d 180000  |d 181000  |e 180000PV1199506729  |e 181000PV1199506729  |k 0/180000/  |k 1/180000/181000/  |p 2  |y j 
998 |g 124797237  |a Fehr, Dietmar  |m 124797237:Fehr, Dietmar  |d 180000  |d 181000  |e 180000PF124797237  |e 181000PF124797237  |k 0/180000/  |k 1/180000/181000/  |p 1  |x j 
999 |a KXP-PPN173856309X  |e 3805705492 
BIB |a Y 
JSO |a {"physDesc":[{"noteIll":"Illustrationen","extent":"1 Online-Ressource (circa 64 Seiten)"}],"language":["eng"],"person":[{"family":"Fehr","given":"Dietmar","display":"Fehr, Dietmar","role":"aut"},{"role":"aut","display":"Vollmann, Martin","given":"Martin","family":"Vollmann"}],"recId":"173856309X","relMultPart":[{"type":{"media":"Online-Ressource","bibl":"serial"},"origin":[{"publisher":"[University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics]","dateIssuedDisp":"[2020]-","publisherPlace":"[Heidelberg]"}],"pubHistory":["No. 692 (October 2020)-"],"title":[{"title":"AWI discussion paper series","title_sort":"AWI discussion paper series"}],"note":["Gesehen am 20.11.23"],"name":{"displayForm":["University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics"]},"recId":"1741200679","id":{"eki":["1741200679"],"hdl":["10419/127204"],"zdb":["3046500-X"]},"language":["eng"],"corporate":[{"display":"Alfred-Weber-Institut für Wirtschaftswissenschaften","role":"isb"}],"part":{"number_sort":["695"],"number":["no. 695 (November 2020)"]},"disp":"AWI discussion paper series","physDesc":[{"extent":"Online-Ressource"}],"dispAlt":"AWI discussion paper series"}],"title":[{"subtitle":"experimental evidence on meritocratic beliefs and inequality acceptance","title_sort":"Misperceiving economic success","title":"Misperceiving economic success"}],"id":{"uri":["urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-290719"],"eki":["173856309X"],"doi":["10.11588/heidok.00029071"],"hdl":["10419/235018"]},"type":{"bibl":"book","media":"Online-Ressource"},"name":{"displayForm":["Dietmar Fehr, Martin Vollmann"]},"origin":[{"dateIssuedDisp":"[2020]","publisherPlace":"Heidelberg","publisher":"Heidelberg University, Department of Economics","dateIssuedKey":"2020"}]} 
SRT |a FEHRDIETMAMISPERCEIV2020