Brown Bag Seminar with Dr. Yuriy Timofeyev: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Dr Yuriy Timofeyev
HSE Graduate School of Business
Experimental evidence on the impact of communication and veto power in groups on willingness to violate social norms
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. 鈥� 1:00 p.m.
Location: Bronfman building, Room 301
All are cordially invited to attend.
Abstract
In a laboratory experiment, we investigate how the willingness to violate social norms is influenced by communication and veto rights in groups. We frame the violation of social norms as the possibility to transfer money designated for donation to the own account. Veto rights are implemented by assuming that the transfer probability decreases from fifty percent to zero in case the two group members disagree. Our most important result is that veto rights increase the willingness to take the money to such a large degree that the positive effect of veto rights is overcompensated. Thus, veto rights against the violation of social norms fire back by leading to a mental free-rider behavior. Furthermore, communication in groups reduces the violation frequency with veto rights, but increases it without veto rights. The comparison of individual to group decision making depends on the institutional setting in groups. Higher amounts are transferred less often.
