When are groups less moral than individuals?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Campos-Mercade, Pol
• 署名单位: University of Copenhagen; Lund University
• 刊物名称: GAMES AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0899-8256
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2022.03.009
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 20-36
• 关键词: Moral behavior; Group size; Bystander effect; social preferences

摘要

Individuals are less likely to make morally desirable decisions when they are in groups. I study when this phenomenon makes groups less likely to produce a morally desirable outcome than one individual alone. I formulate and test a model in which a moral outcome occurs if at least one individual makes a costly decision. Using a lab experiment and data from field experiments on the bystander effect, I show that if most individuals are moral, the moral outcome is more likely to be produced by one individual, whereas if most individuals are immoral, it is more likely to be produced by a group. This rule is not only useful for reconciling previous mixed evidence on moral decision-making in groups, but may also be applied to better design organizations and institutions. (C) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.