David Zuckerman
Our research project investigates how third parties take a victim's preferences into account when deciding how to punish the victim's offender. Using incentivized experiments, we compare the influence of victim preferences with that of bystander preferences in a setting where both the original offense and the ensuing punishment involve monetary transfers. The project also includes a follow-up experiment examining normative beliefs about the role that victim preferences should play in third-party punishment decisions. Drawing on theories of restorative justice that emphasize addressing victims' concerns, we expect punishment decisions to be more strongly influenced by victim preferences than bystander preferences. More broadly, the project seeks to improve our understanding of the role that victim preferences play in shaping punishment decisions in both formal and informal settings, as well as beliefs about the role they ought to play.