Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/51417 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Series/Report no.: 
IAAEG Discussion Paper Series No. 02/2011
Publisher: 
University of Trier, Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), Trier
Abstract: 
A small lie appears trivial but it obviously violates moral commandments. We analyze whether the preference for others' truth telling is absolute or depends on the size of a lie. In a laboratory experiment we compare punishment for different sizes of lies controlling for the resulting economic harm. We find that people are sensitive to the size of a lie and that this behavioral pattern is driven by honest people. People who lie themselves punish softly in any context.
Subjects: 
Lying
norm violation
punishment
experiment
JEL: 
C91
D03
D82
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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