Give and (Not) take: How transparency of refusals and acceptances in reciprocal exchange affects inequality

Abstract

Reciprocal exchange is the foundation of many of our social relationships. Research accounts for inequality in reciprocal exchange via a process of resource withholding, in which advantaged actors—either strategically or not—withhold valued resources from more dependent partners to instead invest in the self or in other relationships. In this study, we examine how contexts and experiences of transparent acceptances and refusals affect the tendency to withhold resources and consequently the emergence of inequality in reciprocal exchange networks. We argue processes that lead to inequality may be disrupted in situational contexts that remove uncertainty about whether reciprocal exchange offers are accepted or refused. Namely, structural pressures toward inequality should weaken as advantaged actors, who have more resources to contribute, become more likely to give and to give more abundantly. Results from an experiment generally support our predictions and provide novel insights into how contexts and experiences of refusal and acceptance affect inequality by modifying giving.