CEF.UP – ECO Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – July 12^th, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. |Room 305| Online

“Social Distancing and Risk Taking: Evidence from a Team Game Show”

José de Sousa  – Université Paris-Saclay (joint work with Jean-Marc Bourgeon and Alexis Noir-Luhalwe)

Abstract:

“We examine the risky choices of pairs of contestants in a popular radio game show in France. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the show, traditionally held in person, had to switch to all remote. We find that this exogenous change in social context affects risk-taking behavior. Remotely, pairs take far fewer risks when the stakes are high than in the flesh. This behavioral difference is consistent with prosocial behavior theories, which argue that the nature of social interactions influences risky choices. Our results suggest that working from home may reduce participation in profitable but risky team projects.”