Shifting Punishment on Minorities: Experimental Evidence of Scapegoating

Bauer, Michal; Cahlíková, Jana; Chytilová, Julie; Roland, Gérard; Želinský, Tomáš

Abstract

Do members of a majority group systematically shift punishment on innocent members of an ethnic minority? We introduce an experimental paradigm, the Punishing the Scapegoat Game, to measure how injustice affecting a member of one's own group shapes punishment of an unrelated bystander. When no harm is done, we find no evidence of discrimination against the ethnic minority (Roma people in Slovakia). In contrast, when a member of one's own group is harmed, the punishment ‘passed’ on innocent individuals more than doubles when they are from the minority, as compared to when they are from the dominant group.

Citation

Bauer, M., Cahlíková, J., Chytilová, J., Roland, G., & Želinský, T. (2023). Shifting Punishment on Minorities: Experimental Evidence of Scapegoating. The Economic Journal, 133(652), 1626-1640. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/uead005

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jan 18, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-05
• Deposit Date: Feb 6, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 19, 2025
• Journal: The Economic Journal
• Print ISSN: 0013-0133
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-0297
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 133
• Issue: 652
• Pages: 1626-1640
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/uead005
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1183670