When Certification Backfires: Negative Spillovers on Noncertified Offerings in Airbnb Plus

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kim, Heeyon; Wang, Qian; Montauti, Martina
• 署名单位: Cornell University; University of St Gallen
• 刊物名称: ORGANIZATION SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7039
• DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2024.19383
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: trade-offs; reputation; contests

摘要

Research on certification has largely emphasized its positive effects, showing that certification can enhance trust and legitimacy for certified actors and in some cases, generate positive spillovers that benefit uncertified counterparts. Yet, certification programs are frequently scaled back or discontinued, suggesting that their broader consequences may be more complex than commonly assumed. In particular, certification can produce negative spillovers by sharpening distinctions between certified and noncertified actors; through a contrast mechanism, juxtaposition with certified offerings heightens the salience of uncertainty and leads audiences to evaluate noncertified actors less favorably, even when underlying quality is unchanged. We test this argument using data from the launch of Airbnb Plus, a program in which Airbnb certified a subset of listings based on verified quality standards. Employing a difference-in-differences design comparing Los Angeles (where the program was launched) and San Diego (where it was not), we find a negative treatment effect on the revenues of noncertified listings in Los Angeles. This negative spillover is attenuated when alternative quality signals are available, when noncertified listings are less directly comparable with certified ones, and when listings are more difficult to substitute outside the platform. Our findings suggest how certification systems intended to enhance trust and legitimacy can under certain market conditions inadvertently disadvantage noncertified actors.