Dishonesty in Everyday Life and its Policy Implications

Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 117-126, 2006

FRB of Boston Working Paper No. 06-3

41 Pages Posted: 4 Mar 2006 Last revised: 5 Aug 2009

See all articles by Nina Mazar

Nina Mazar

Boston University - Questrom School of Business

Dan Ariely

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business

Date Written: 2006

Abstract

Dishonest acts are all too prevalent in day-to-day life. In the current review, we examine some possible psychological causes for such dishonesty that go beyond the standard economic considerations of probability and value of external payoffs. We propose a general model of dishonest behavior that includes also internal psychological reward mechanisms for honesty and dishonesty, and we point to the implications of this model in terms of curbing dishonesty.

Keywords: performance-based incentives

Suggested Citation

Mazar, Nina and Ariely, Dan, Dishonesty in Everyday Life and its Policy Implications (2006). Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 117-126, 2006, FRB of Boston Working Paper No. 06-3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=887529

Nina Mazar (Contact Author)

Boston University - Questrom School of Business ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA MA 02215
United States

Dan Ariely

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business ( email )

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States
(919) 381-4366 (Phone)

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
1,430
Abstract Views
9,603
Rank
27,039
PlumX Metrics