Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/217014 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 8263
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
This paper uses a novel experimental design to study the contagion of pro- and anti-social behavior and the role of social proximity among peers. Across systematic variations thereof, we find that anti-social behavior is generally more contagious than pro-social behavior. Surprisingly, we also find that social proximity amplifies the contagion of anti-social behavior more strongly than the contagion of pro-social behavior. Anti-social individuals are also most susceptible to the behavioral contagion of other anti-social peers. These findings paired with the methodological contribution inform the design of effective norm-based policy interventions directed at facilitating pro-social behavior and reducing anti-social behavior in social and economic environments.
Subjects: 
behavioral contagion
peer effects
anti-social & pro-social behavior
JEL: 
C91
D64
D90
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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