
@article{ref1,
title="Vengeance",
journal="NBER working papers series",
year="2008",
author="Mocan, Naci H.",
volume="2008",
number="online",
pages="w14131-w14131",
abstract="This paper investigates the extent of vengeful feelings and their determinants using data on more than 89,000 individuals from 53 countries.  Country characteristics (such as per-capita income, average education of the country, presence of an armed conflict, the extent of the rule-of-law, uninterrupted democracy, individualism) as well as personal attributes of the individuals influence vengeful feelings.  The magnitude of vengeful feelings is greater for people in low-income countries, in countries with low levels of education, low levels of the rule-of-law, in collectivist countries and in countries that experienced an armed conflict in recent history.  Females, older people, working people, people who live in high-crime areas of their country and people who are at the bottom 50% of their country's income distribution are more vengeful.  The intensity of vengeful feelings dies off gradually over time.  The findings suggest that vengeful feelings of people are subdued as a country develops economically and becomes more stable politically and socially and that both country characteristics and personal attributes are important determinants of vengeance.  Poor people who live in higher-income societies that are ethno-linguistically homogeneous are as vengeful as rich people who live in low-income societies that are ethno-linguistically fragmented.  These results reinforce the idea that some puzzles about individual choice can best be explained by considering the interplay of personal and cultural factors.<p />",
language="",
issn="0898-2937",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}