Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/36958 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 5034
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
In this paper, we investigate individuals' investment in status in an environment where no monetary return can possibly be derived from reaching a better relative position. We use a real-effort experiment in which we permit individuals to learn and potentially improve their status (rank). We find that people express both intrinsic motivation and a taste for status. Indeed, people increase their effort when they are simply informed about their relative performance, and people pay both to sabotage others' output and to artificially increase their own relative performance. In addition, stronger group identity favors positive rivalry and discourages sabotage among peers.
Subjects: 
Status seeking
rank
competitive preferences
experiment
JEL: 
C91
C92
M54
D63
J28
J31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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