Value Formation: The Role of Esteem

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Akerlof, Robert
• 署名单位: University of Warwick
• 刊物名称: GAMES AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0899-8256
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2016.10.011
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 1-19
• 关键词: identity; culture; VALUES; Organizational resistance

摘要

People's values are a critical determinant of their behavior. But, how do values form and what causes them to change? This paper proposes a theory of value formation. In the model, agents choose values, motivated by economic considerations and, crucially, also by the desire for esteem. The comparative statics are driven by the following tension: agents obtain more esteem from peers if they conform in their choice of values; but they may obtain more self-esteem if they differentiate. This tension explains why, for instance, peer effects are sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Three applications are considered, related to: schools, inner cities, and organizational resistance. (c) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.