Arbeitspapier
Failure of unravelling theory? A natural field experiment on voluntary quality disclosure
Classic "unravelling" theory holds that buyers should treat with maximal scepticism sellers who withhold verifiable information relating to their quality, as buyers infer from such non-disclosure that the seller possesses the lowest possible quality. This study is the first to use a natural field experiment to test this proposition, and the first to test it in a labour market context. We sent out 12,301 job applications, varying the information on degree classification - a signal of academic quality - that the applicant presented to the employer. Our results do not support unravelling theory. Applications which left degree classification undisclosed were significantly more likely to receive positive responses from employers than those disclosing the lowest possible degree classification. Employers treated non-disclosing applicants similarly to those disclosing mid-scale classifications, suggesting the extent to which adverse inference is drawn from missing information is limited. Evidence is presented against the alternative interpretation that non-disclosure success is driven by recruiters' usage of software tools.
- Sprache
-
Englisch
- Erschienen in
-
Series: CeDEx Discussion Paper Series ; No. 2022-17
- Klassifikation
-
Wirtschaft
Noncooperative Games
Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
Labor Demand
- Thema
-
Voluntary Disclosure
Unravelling
Labour Market
Field Experiment
- Ereignis
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (wer)
-
Lane, Tom
Zhou, Minghai
- Ereignis
-
Veröffentlichung
- (wer)
-
The University of Nottingham, Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx)
- (wo)
-
Nottingham
- (wann)
-
2022
- Handle
- Letzte Aktualisierung
-
10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ
Datenpartner
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.
Objekttyp
- Arbeitspapier
Beteiligte
- Lane, Tom
- Zhou, Minghai
- The University of Nottingham, Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx)
Entstanden
- 2022
Ähnliche Objekte (12)
Failure of unravelling theory? A natural field experiment on voluntary quality disclosure
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in asymmetric contests
Voluntary Disclosure Programs for Tax Evaders
Voluntary disclosure when private information and disclosure costs are jointly determined
Unravelling theory: Strategic (non-) disclosure of online ratings
Essays on voluntary disclosure in corporate narratives
Voluntary information disclosure in company annual reports
Voluntary disclosure under imperfect competition: Experimental evidence
Voluntary disclosure schemes for offshore tax evasion
Voluntary disclosure schemes for offshore tax evasion
Failure of unravelling theory? A natural field experiment on voluntary quality disclosure
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in asymmetric contests
Voluntary Disclosure Programs for Tax Evaders
Voluntary disclosure when private information and disclosure costs are jointly determined
Unravelling theory: Strategic (non-) disclosure of online ratings
Essays on voluntary disclosure in corporate narratives
Voluntary information disclosure in company annual reports
Voluntary disclosure under imperfect competition: Experimental evidence
Voluntary disclosure schemes for offshore tax evasion
Voluntary disclosure schemes for offshore tax evasion
Failure of unravelling theory? A natural field experiment on voluntary quality disclosure
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in unfair contests
Voluntary disclosure in asymmetric contests
Voluntary Disclosure Programs for Tax Evaders
Voluntary disclosure when private information and disclosure costs are jointly determined
Unravelling theory: Strategic (non-) disclosure of online ratings
Essays on voluntary disclosure in corporate narratives
Voluntary information disclosure in company annual reports
Voluntary disclosure under imperfect competition: Experimental evidence
Voluntary disclosure schemes for offshore tax evasion