Competition and well-being

Arbeitspapier

This paper experimentally studies the effects of competition in an environment where people's actions can not be contractually fixed. We find that, in comparison with no competition, the presence of competition does neither increase efficiency nor does it yield any gains in earnings for the short side of the exchange relation. Moreover, competition has a clearly negative impact on the disposition towards others and on the experienced well-being of those on the long side. Since subjective well-being improves only for those on the short side competition contributes to larger inequalities in experienced well-being. All in all competition does not show up as a positive force in our environment.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 1769

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Relation of Economics to Social Values ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Group Behavior ; Distribution: General ; Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining: General ; Personnel Economics: General
• Subject: competition ; happiness ; well-being ; laboratory experiment ; emotions ; market interaction ; Wettbewerb ; Unvollständiger Vertrag ; Lebensqualität

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Brandts, Jordi ; Riedl, Arno ; van Winden, Frans
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/33629
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET