|

The Contagious Effect of Corruption Scandals on Dishonest Behavior

ByThe Short Paper

Contagious Dishonesty: Corruption Scandals and Supermarket Theft

This study investigates whether corruption scandals influence the likelihood of supermarket customers engaging in dishonest behavior, specifically stealing while using self-service checkout systems. These systems enable shoppers to underreport the value of their purchases. The research, based on random audits of shoppers, reveals that the probability of stealing increases by 16 percent following a local corruption scandal. Importantly, this increase is not driven by changes in material incentives but rather by a decrease in the perceived cost of stealing, suggesting that dishonest behavior can be contagious.

Gulino, Giorgio, and Federico Masera. 2023. “Contagious Dishonesty: Corruption Scandals and Supermarket Theft.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 15 (4): 218-51.

https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20210446

Similar Posts

|

Ending School Segregation Had Positive Long-term Effects on Hispanic Students in California

ByThe Short Paper

The Long-Run Impacts of Mexican American School Desegregation This study conducted a quantitative analysis to understand the impact of ending legal segregation of Mexican American schoolchildren in the United States, specifically focusing on the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster court decision. The study examined its effects on the long-term educational achievements of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic…

|

NYC Program Improves Access to Healthcare and Reduces ER Visits

ByThe Short Paper

Reducing Frictions in Health Care Access: The ActionHealthNYC Experiment for Undocumented Immigrants In 2016, New York City initiated a program aimed at making it easier for undocumented immigrants to access healthcare. They did this by randomly scheduling primary care appointments for 2,428 individuals. A unique data combination of surveys and administrative records revealed that this…

|

The Impact of Income Fluctuations on Risk Preferences Among the Poor

ByThe Short Paper

Temporal Instability of Risk Preference among the Poor: Evidence from Payday Cycles This study explores how the income fluctuations experienced by low-income individuals affect their risk preferences. The researchers focused on the impact of payday cycles in the United States and found that those heavily reliant on social security became more risk-tolerant before payday. This…

|

Impact of Job Loss on Earnings Across Different Countries

ByThe Short Paper

The Unequal Consequences of Job Loss across Countries This study analyzed the effects of job loss in various countries using a consistent research approach with seven employer-employee datasets. Workers in Denmark and Sweden had the smallest earnings reduction after losing their jobs, whereas those in Italy, Spain, and Portugal experienced earnings losses three times greater….

|

Private Obstetrical Care Yields Slightly Better Outcomes in Military Health System

ByThe Short Paper

Public and Private Options in Practice: The Military Health System Recent debates on healthcare reform, including in military and veterans’ healthcare, have focused on public versus private provision of services. This study uses unique data on childbirth claims in the Military Health System (MHS) to compare the impact of receiving obstetrical care on military bases…

|

Remote Learning Widened Educational Gaps, Especially in Math

ByThe Short Paper

The Educational Consequences of Remote and Hybrid Instruction during the Pandemic This study analyzed data from over two million students in nearly 10,000 schools across 49 states and the District of Columbia to understand how remote and hybrid instruction affected educational achievement gaps related to race and school poverty. The study found that remote instruction…