Multitasking, Complementarities, and Information Disclosure: Evidence from Food Hygiene Ratings in the U.K.

We analyze the role of cost complementarities in driving the overall impact of a recent hygiene-rating disclosure policy in the U.K. We develop a simple theoretical multitasking model, which serves as a platform for our empirical analysis. We conduct a counterfactual analysis, which reveals the extent to which complementarities drive overall hygiene ratings. Further, we conduct a policy experiment, which sheds light on the optimal design of hygiene-rating information disclosure policies. We also show the differential impact of the policy on different types of establishments.

Keywords: Multitasking, Information Disclosure, Complementarities, Product Quality, Food Hygiene

JEL Classification: D73, I18, K23, L51

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

De Silva, Dakshina G. and Rietzke, David and Schiller, Anita R. and Yoshimoto, Hisayuki, Multitasking, Complementarities, and Information Disclosure: Evidence from Food Hygiene Ratings in the U.K. (May 5, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4375918 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4375918