Do cultures clash? Evidence from cross-national ultimatum game experiments

TY - JOUR

T1 - Do cultures clash? Evidence from cross-national ultimatum game experiments

AU - Chuah, Swee-Hoon

AU - Hoffmann, Robert

AU - Jones, Martin

AU - Williams, Geoffrey

N1 - dc.publisher: Elsevier

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Economic globalisation promotes the interaction between individuals of different cultures. While experimental economists have established differences in the way individuals from different nations interact within their own cultures, behavioural differences in cross-cultural interactions have not been sufficiently explored. This paper reports the results of ultimatum game experiments in which Malaysian Chinese and UK subjects played opponents of their own as well as of the other culture. We confirm the existence of cultural difference in subject behaviour in both intra- and inter-national interactions. This evidence is discussed in terms of the possibility of a ‘clash of cultures’.

AB - Economic globalisation promotes the interaction between individuals of different cultures. While experimental economists have established differences in the way individuals from different nations interact within their own cultures, behavioural differences in cross-cultural interactions have not been sufficiently explored. This paper reports the results of ultimatum game experiments in which Malaysian Chinese and UK subjects played opponents of their own as well as of the other culture. We confirm the existence of cultural difference in subject behaviour in both intra- and inter-national interactions. This evidence is discussed in terms of the possibility of a ‘clash of cultures’.

KW - Ultimatum game

KW - Cross-cultural experiments

KW - Social preferences

U2 - 10.1016/j.jebo.2006.04.006

DO - 10.1016/j.jebo.2006.04.006

M3 - Article

SN - 0167-2681

VL - 64

SP - 35

EP - 48

JO - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization

JF - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization

IS - 1

ER -