Competition between and within universities: Theoretical and experimental investigation of group identity and the desire to win

We study how group identity, based on university affiliation, impacts competitive behavior. Our experiment employs a simple all-pay auction within and between two university subject pools. Students within the lower-tier university bid more aggressively against each other than students within the top...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic psychology 2022-12, Vol.93, p.102551, Article 102551
Main Authors: (Charlie) Chen, Zhuoqiong, Ong, David, Sheremeta, Roman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
All-pay auction
Competitiveness
Experiments
Group identity
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Summary:We study how group identity, based on university affiliation, impacts competitive behavior. Our experiment employs a simple all-pay auction within and between two university subject pools. Students within the lower-tier university bid more aggressively against each other than students within the top-tier university against each other. Lower-tier students, particularly females, bid more aggressively when competing against top-tier students. Interpreted through a theoretical model that incorporates both group identity and differential valuation of winning, our data indicate that students at the lower-tier university have a stronger group identity as well as a higher desire to win.
ISSN:0167-4870
1872-7719
DOI:10.1016/j.joep.2022.102551