Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/282140 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Paper No. 449
Publisher: 
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition, München und Berlin
Abstract: 
We present the first causal evidence on the persistent impact of enduring competition on prosociality. Inspired by the literature on tournaments within firms, which shows that competitive compensation schemes reduce cooperation in the short-run, we explore if enduring exposure to a competitive environment persistently attenuates prosociality. Based on a large-scale randomized intervention in the education context, we find lower levels of prosociality for students who just experienced a 2-year competition period. 4-year follow-up data indicate that the effect persists and generalizes, suggesting a change in traits and not only in behavior.
Subjects: 
prosociality
competition
cooperation
social skills
socio-emotional skills
tournaments
comparative pay
incentive schemes
JEL: 
D64
C90
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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