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  • May 2021
  • Article
  • American Economic Journal: Microeconomics

Is No News (Perceived as) Bad News? An Experimental Investigation of Information Disclosure

By: Ginger Zhe Jin, Michael Luca and Daniel Martin
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:54
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Abstract

This paper uses laboratory experiments to directly test a central prediction of disclosure theory: that strategic forces can lead those who possess private information to voluntarily provide it. In a simple sender-receiver game, we find that senders disclose favorable information, but withhold less favorable information. The degree to which senders withhold information is strongly related to their stated beliefs about receiver actions, and their stated beliefs are accurate on average. Receiver actions are also strongly related to their stated beliefs, but their actions and beliefs suggest that many are insufficiently skeptical about non-disclosed information in the absence of repeated feedback.

Keywords

Communication Games; Disclosure; Unraveling; Experiments; Information; Product; Quality; Communication; Consumer Behavior

Citation

Jin, Ginger Zhe, Michael Luca, and Daniel Martin. "Is No News (Perceived as) Bad News? An Experimental Investigation of Information Disclosure." American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 13, no. 2 (May 2021): 141–173.
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About The Author

Michael Luca

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Shanty Real Estate: Teaching Note By: Michael Luca, Jesse M. Shapiro and Nathan Sun
  • Getting on the Map: The Impact of Online Listings on Business Performance By: Michael Luca, Abhishek Nagaraj and Gauri Subramani
  • The Sinister Logic of Hidden Online Fees By: Michael Luca
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