Referenda Under Oath

Article dans une revue: Herein we explore whether a solemn oath can eliminate hypothetical bias in a voting referenda, a popular elicitation mechanism promoted in non-market valuation exercises for its incentive compatibility properties. First, we reject the null hypothesis that a hypothetical bias does not exist. Second, we observe that people who sign an oath are significantly less likely to vote for the public good in a hypothetical referenda. We complement this evidence with a self-reported measure of honesty which confirms that the oath increases truthfulness in answers. This result opens interesting avenues for improving the elicitation of preferences in the lab and beyond.

Auteur(s)

Nicolas Jacquemet, Alexander James, Stéphane Luchini, Jason Shogren

Revue
  • Environmental and Resource Economics
Date de publication
  • 2017
Mots-clés JEL
C9 H4 Q5
Mots-clés
  • Dichotomous Choice Mechanism
  • Preference revelation
  • Oath
  • Hypothetical bias
Pages
  • 479-504
Version
  • 1
Volume
  • 67