The Acceptability of Accountability

John Bone, Paolo Crosetto, John Hey and Carmen Pasca

Abstract

This paper reports on an experimental test of the acceptability of the Principle of Accountability. This is a principle of social justice, and states, “individuals should be rewarded for factors under their control […], but not for factors outside their control” (Cappelen and Tungodden (2009). We specifically ask for acceptability of the principle underlying it, rather than for particular rewards in particular instances. We carry out the test with both an Internal and an External Dictator. We find that there is broad, but not overwhelming support for the Principle. When the Principle is internally inconsistent no clear preference emerges, which is not surprising.

JEL classifications: D31, D63, C91
Keywords: chance, choice, compensation, luck, Liberal Egalitarianism, responsibility

The Paper

Paper (MS Word , 556kb)

Powerpoint Instructions

These was played on all subjects' screens before they started the experiment. There were separate presentations for both the internal and external dictator treatments.

Powerpoint Instructions 1 (MS PowerPoint , 398kb) for Internal Dictator treatment.