Fabrice Le Lec

Abstract:

Co-écrit avec Benoît Tarroux (Univ. Rennes 1 -- CREM)
"This paper studies experimentally how people value freedom of choice (liberalism) and to what
extent they respect others’ preferences (pluralism). In particular, it tests paternalistic tendencies,
that is the propension of individuals not to respect these two principles. In our main treatment,
a patron decides which choice set a protege will face. The patron does so knowing perfectly the
stated preferences of the protégé. By varying the tasks, we test whether patrons respect some
simple principles such as liberalism (always giving more freedom of choice to others) or pluralism
(always giving the choice sets in accordance with the protégé’s preferences), and when, and on what
grounds, they transgress these principles. By comparing this experimental treatment to a treatment
control where the patron select choice sets for herself, we show that on average individuals are quite
respectful of others’ freedom of choice and preferences. Yet, we also observe substantial instances of
paternalistic behaviors. These paternalistic actions seem rather motivated by a social ranking (what
is usually considered a legitimate consumption) than by the patron’s preferences (what the patron
prefers). Moreover, libertarianism (respect for others’ freedom of choice) seem to be a more powerful
principle than pluralism (respect of others’ preferences)."