This paper investigates the effects of different prize structures on the effort choices of participants in two-stage elimination contests. A format with a single prize is shown to maximize totaleffort over both stages, but induces low effort in stage 1 and high effort in stage 2. By contrast, a...

This paper analyzes a two-stage pairwise elimination contest with heterogeneous agents. It derives analytical expressions for equilibrium efforts in a setting where the two simultaneous stage-1 interactions are linked through endogenously determined continuation values.

Does information processing affect individual risk-taking behavior? In this paper, we provide evidence that professional athletes suffer from a left-digit bias when dealing with signals about differences in performance. Using data from the highly competitive field of World Cup alpine skiing for...