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Published August 2020 | Submitted
Journal Article Open

Timing of Communication

Abstract

Using an experiment, we demonstrate that a communication regime in which a worker communicates about his intended effort is less effective in: (i) soliciting truthful information; and (ii) motivating effort than one in which he communicates about his past effort. Our experiment uses a real-effort task, which additionally allows us to demonstrate the effects of communication on effort over time. We show that the timing of communication affects the dynamic pattern of work. In both treatments, individuals are most co-operative closest to the time of communication. Our results reveal that the timing of communication is a critical feature that merits attention in the design of mechanisms for information transmission in strategic settings.

Additional Information

© 2020 Royal Economic Society. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Economic Society. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model). Received: 29 December 2017; Accepted: 26 April 2019; Published: 14 April 2020. We would like to thank Hal Arkes, Katie Baldiga Coffman, Lucas Coffman, Paul J. Healy, John Kagel, Jim Peck, Huanxing Yang, Rick Young, the editor, two anonymous referees, and the seminar participants at Econometric Society European Winter Meeting, Economic Science Association North American Meeting, and the Ohio State Accounting Department Brownbag for their helpful comments and suggestions. Research support was provided by the Decision Science Collaborative, Ohio State University.

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Created:
August 19, 2023
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October 20, 2023