Equity theory and fair inequality: a neuroconomic study
Year: 2015
Type: report
Abstract: The present paper reports results from the first study designed to examine\nthe neuronal responses to income inequality in situations in which\nindividuals have made different contributions in terms of work effort. We\nconducted an experiment that included a prescanning phase in which the\nparticipants earned money by working, and a neuronal scanning phase in\nwhich we examined how the brain responded when the participants evaluated\ndifferent distributions of their earnings. We provide causal evidence\nof the relative contribution of work effort being crucial for understanding\nthe hemodynamic response in the brain. We found a significant hemodynamic\nresponse in the striatum to deviations from the distribution of income\nthat was proportional to work effort, but found no effect of deviations from\nthe equal distribution of income. We also observed a striking correlation\nbetween the hemodynamic response in the striatum and the self-reported\nevaluation of the income distributions. Our results provide the first set of\nneuronal evidence for equity theory and suggest that people distinguish between\nfair and unfair inequalities.
Source: BIBSYS Brage (BIBSYS (Norway))
Authors: Cappelen, Alexander W., Eichele, Tom, Hugdahl, Kenneth, Specht, Karsten, Sørensen, Erik Ø., Tungodden, Bertil
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7037681369