Masaryk University Economic Seminars

We investigate how social identity and social distance affect animosity towards out-group members, and the extent to which social desirability bias (SDB) distorts expressed preferences. A theoretical model predicts an inverted U-shaped relationship between social distance and out-group animosity, as well as the conditions for a negative relationship between social distance and SDB. We find that for far enough social distance, both animosity and SDB decline. To test these predictions, we conduct an online experiment in the United States implementing direct survey questions as well as a list experiment. We evaluate respondents’ willingness to accept an out-group member with less social distance (a Republican or a Democrat) versus with far social distance (a Chinese Communist Party sympathizer) as a neighbor or as a colleague. We find substantial true animosity toward domestic political opponents (45.6%), whereas true animosity toward CCP sympathizers is significantly lower (35.9%). Respondents exhibit strong positive SDB toward domestic opponents (16.1%), overreporting their animosity in direct settings. In contrast, SDB drops significantly regarding CCP sympathizers (6.8%). These findings closely align with our theoretical predictions, confirming that far social distance attenuates both out-group animosity and social image concerns. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that Democrats display significantly higher domestic animosity (59.7% true, 80.5% stated) and SDB (20.8%) than Republicans (31.5% true, 43.0% stated; 11.5% SDB). Furthermore, residing in politically competitive swing states markedly reduces expressed animosity and alters SDB.
This study contributes to the literature of identity economics and political polarization by providing a unified framework that disentangles genuine identity-driven hostility from social image concerns. It also shows that domestic partisan-divides generate far greater behavioral friction and social pressure than distant geopolitical rivalries, at least in the USA. 
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Subhasish Modak Chowdhury is a Professor at the University of Sheffield where he serves as the Director of the BRAINS research centre, and lead the Behavioural Economics Research Group. He is a microeconomist with research interests in contest theory, behavioral economics, industrial organization etc. Recently he joined the Journal of Competition Law & Economics as an Associate Editor.

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Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine brought over 400,000 refugees to the Czech Republic within months. We ask whether this shock affected the mental health of the receiving population, using Czech GP prescription records. Because Czech registries do not link patients to providers, we simulate GP catchment areas from a congestion-sensitive choice model and build a physician-level exposure measure. Exposure raised antidepressant prescribing on the extensive margin — more patients treated, no rise in dose per patient — while anxiolytic prescribing and overall prescribing volume did not respond. The response is concentrated in the first months after the inflow began and leaves no persistent trace.

Tommaso Roccabianca is a PhD Candidate in Public Governance, Management and Policy at the Department of Management, University of Bologna, and a collaborator at IRCCS Sant'Orsola University Hospital since 2024. His research focuses on the adoption and implementation of technological innovations in healthcare organizations, with particular attention to robotic surgery, operating room management, and the organizational changes associated with the introduction of new technologies.

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