Favoritism

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bramoulle, Yann; Goyal, Sanjeev
• 署名单位: Aix-Marseille Universite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of Cambridge; University of Cambridge
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.04.006
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 16-27
• 关键词: Favoritism; Surplus diversion; rents; inequalities

摘要

Favoritism refers to the act of offering jobs, contracts and resources to members of one's own social group in preference to others who are outside the group. This paper examines the economic origins and the consequences of favoritism. We argue that favoritism is a mechanism for surplus diversion away from the society at large and toward the group. As it usually entails inefficiencies, favoritism highlights the role of frictions in economic exchange. Favoritism is easier to sustain in a small homogenous group and when there is heterogeneity across groups. Favoritism has negative effects on incentives to undertake investments and innovation. These predictions appear to be consistent with empirical evidence. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.