Aubstract:

We discuss various effects of effort on redistributive behaviour, examining dictator games with an earning phase before a redistribution phase. It has been argued that effort legitimises the possession of money so that people act more selfishly than when the dictator receives a “windfall”. On the other hand, effort fatigues people or puts them under high cognitive load, depleting the cognitive capacities they need to perform demanding deliberations. People are in this case said to rely on more automatic choice processes. Experimental results so far are inconclusive regarding whether this makes a person more selfish or more other-regarding.