Fishy business in an expert product review | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal
Christian Helmers, Pramila Krishnan, Manasa Patnam Car reviewers tend to be flown to far-off destinations where they “get into a new model, eat three stars, sleep five stars”, all paid for by the manufacturer (Van Putten 2020) (with Tesla reportedly being an exception; see Hogan 2020). Movie critics do their work while enjoying free meals and hotel accommodation in garden spots like Hawaii (Ravid et al. 2006). In short, whenever expert reviewers conduct their work non-blind, they may be exposed to the tactics producers use to get a favourable review. Producers have a strong incentive to c...
Source: voxeu.org