The impunity game is a simple game in
experimental economics
Experimental economics is the application of experimental methods to study economic questions. Data collected in experiments are used to estimate effect size, test the validity of economic theories, and illuminate market mechanisms. Economic expe ...
, similar to the
Dictator Game
The dictator game is a popular experimental instrument in social psychology and economics, a derivative of the ultimatum game. The term "game" is a misnomer because it captures a decision by a single player: to send money to another or not. Thus, ...
.
The first player "the proposer" chooses between two possible divisions of some endowment (such as a cash prize):
#The first choice will be a very unequal division, giving most of the endowment to herself, and sharing little with the second player (the partner or the "responder").
#The second choice is a more even division, giving a "fair" proportion of the initial pie to the responder, and keeping the rest for herself.
The second and final move of the game is in the hands of the responder: he can accept or reject the amount offered. Unlike the
ultimatum game
The ultimatum game is a game that has become a popular instrument of economic experiments. An early description is by Nobel laureate John Harsanyi in 1961. One player, the proposer, is endowed with a sum of money. The proposer is tasked with ...
, this has no effect on the proposer, who always keeps the share she originally awarded herself.
This game has been studied less intensively than the other standards of experimental economics, but appears to produce the interesting result that proposers typically take the "least fair" option, keeping most of the reward for themselves, a conclusion sharply in contrast to that implied by the ultimatum or dictator games.
Notes
1998 Bolton, Katok, Zwick, International Journal of Game Theory, for a dictator game comparison
References
* Bolton, Gary E., Elena Katok, Rami Zwick. «Dictator game giving: Rules of fairness versus acts of kindness». ''International Journal of Game Theory'' 27, n.º 2 (1998): 269-299
* Takagishi, Haruto, Taiki Takahashi, Akira Toyomura, Nina Takashino, Michiko Koizumi, Toshio Yamagishi. «Neural Correlates of the Rejection of Unfair Offers in the Impunity Game». ''Neuro Endocrinology Letters'' 30, n.
o 4 (2009): 496-500
Non-cooperative games
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