American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Public Discourse and Socially Responsible Market Behavior
American Economic Review
vol. 114,
no. 10, October 2024
(pp. 3041–74)
Abstract
We investigate the causal impact of public discourse on socially responsible market behavior. Across three laboratory experiments, having market participants engage in public discourse generally increases market social responsibility. These positive impacts are robust to variation in several characteristics of the discourse. We provide evidence that discourse strengthens beliefs that others support socially responsible exchange. However, relaxing requirements to engage in discourse sharply reduces its effectiveness. Our findings suggest that campaigns encouraging discussion of appropriate market behavior can have sizable impacts on addressing inefficiencies due to market failures but that policies encouraging broad public engagement may be important.Citation
Bartling, Björn, Vanessa Valero, Roberto A. Weber, and Lan Yao. 2024. "Public Discourse and Socially Responsible Market Behavior." American Economic Review, 114 (10): 3041–74. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20201361Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C92 Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Group Behavior
- D62 Externalities
- D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
- P36 Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions: Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training: Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty
- M14 Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
- Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification