Some important forms of contests have participation costs and `default allocations’ where the contest prize is still awarded even when no-one actively competes. We solve a general, all-pay contest model that allows for flexible forms of these features under arbitrary asymmetry. We then use our...

Some important contests have participation costs and `default allocations’ where the contest prize is still awarded even when no-one actively competes. This paper incorporates flexible forms of these features into a general (single-prize) all-pay contest model under arbitrary asymmetry. We...

By randomising the order in which new economics research papers are presented in email alerts and tracking economists’ subsequent download activity, this paper uses a natural field experiment to better understand the reasons why individuals show a disproportionate tendency to select items...