Last word not yet spoken: a reinvestigation of last place aversion with aversion to rank reversals
研究重新检验了末位厌恶假说，发现原始实验无法复制，但改进设计后支持末位有更大负效用及普遍厌恶排名逆转，对公共财政和管理政策设计有启示。
Abstract Preferences over social ranks have emerged as potential drivers of weaker than expected support for redistributive interventions among those closest to the bottom of the income distribution. We compare preferences for alterations of the income distribution affecting the decision maker’s social rank, but not their income, and compare them with similar alterations leaving both rank and income unchanged. Our study fails to find evidence of last-place aversion in a replication of Kuziemko et al. (Q J Econ 129(1):105–149, 2014). However, using a modified design that holds ranks fixed across rounds we find support for both a discontinuously greater disutility from occupying the last as opposed to higher ranks, thus affecting only those closest to the bottom of the distribution, and for a general dislike of rank reversals affecting most ranks. We discuss implications for policy design in both public finance and management science.