We develop a survey instrument to measure self-control problems in a sample of highly educated adults. This measure relates in the manner that theory predicts to liquid wealth accumulation and personality measures. Yet while self-control problems are typically seen as resulting in overconsumption and low wealth, we identify a significant group who underconsume and thereby accumulate high levels of wealth. In addition, self-control problems are smaller in scale for older than for younger respondents. Those who put money aside in retirement accounts may be delaying access to a point at which self-control problems are no longer important. (JEL D12, D14)
How significant are individual differences in self-control? Do these differences impact wealth accumulation? From where do they derive? Our survey-based measure of self-control provides insights into all three questions: 1.There are individual differences in self-control not only of a quantitative but also of a qualitative nature. In our sample, standard self-control problems of overconsumption are no more prevalent than are problems of under-consumption. 2.Standard selfcontrol problems do impede wealth accumulation, particularly in liquid form. Problems of underconsumption have the opposite effects. 3.Self-control is linked to "conscientiousness", a personality trait much studied by psychologists. There is a related link with financial planning.
Online platforms are increasingly being held to account for the content that their users post. Regulation of content has long been a secondary concern of platforms, but more recently as platforms focus on their content governance, they have typically drawn their regulatory model from offline legal frameworks built around sanctioning and punishment of rule violators. This study approaches these problems using an alternative approach, also drawn from legal scholarship, that is based upon motivating voluntary rule following by emphasizing the fairness of platform rules and the justice of the processes used to communicate content moderation decisions. Using a survey (n=10,487) sent to rule violators on Twitter paired with an analysis of participants’ platform behaviors, this study looks at the relationship between people’s judgments of the procedural justice of an enforcement action and the participants’ likelihood of reoffending in the future. We find that those who felt more fairly treated during their enforcement were less likely to recidivate (beta = -.05, p < .001). This, along with the study’s other findings, indicates an opportunity for platforms to put a stronger focus on people’s experience with enforcement systems as a potential pathway for reducing recidivism.
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