CeDEx workshop - Steve Burks (University of Minnesota, Morris)

Lab Measures of Other-Regarding Behavior Predict Some Choices in a Natural On-the-Job Social Dilemma: Evidence from Truckers

Using field experiments and job data from 765 trainee truckers we test the ability of laboratory-style measurements of other-regarding behavior to predict behavior on the job under similar incentives.  We find that other-regarding choices with respect to fellow drivers in the lab predict similar choices on the job, but do not predict costly kindness towards the firm. This suggests the lab measures a disposition that can appear on the job when the contexts are sufficiently similar.