Unequal and Unfair: Free Riding in One‐Shot Interactions

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of status on perceptions of and reactions to free riders. Extrapolating from expectation states theory, I posit that higher status actors are granted a greater degree of social leniency than lower status actors when it comes to free riding. Specifically, I hypothesize that higher status actors are less likely to evoke the same negative emotional and behavioral responses elicited by lower status free riders. Using gender as an indicator of status, I employ a simple vignette to examine this relationship. Results validate previous findings related to the negative emotional and affective responses individuals have toward free riders. Furthermore, while findings fail to support the stated hypotheses, additional results demonstrate the subtle complexity of the relationship between gender, status, and free riding as well as its effect on the emotional and behavioral responses of individuals within small groups. As a result, I suggest that an outright rejection of the stated hypotheses may be premature and that further research in this area is warranted.

Free Riding without Dead Weight Losses

“…Iida et al [21] argued that there is a general difference between a decision made as an individual and as a representative of a group in the context of a public good game, representatives contributed less than individuals when they could not communicate with their constituency. McDougal [22] studied the effect of social status on perceptions of, and reactions to, free riders.…”