arXiv 22 May 2026 · Econometrics
arXiv:2605.23539 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text
We study how individuals trade off outcome ("what") and process ("how") utility in high-stakes strategic decisions, namely professional tennis. Using optimality conditions and the second-service rule, we derive a sufficient condition for the nonparametric lower bound on the weight of process utility to be positive. Under mild shape restrictions, the high-frequency data indicate that most players likely value process utility positively. We then develop a structural model that recovers player-specific preferences over outcomes and processes. Estimates show that players systematically sacrifice success probabilities to increase process utility, with economically meaningful consequences for match outcomes and expected earnings.
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The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.
| Reference | Intensity | Mentions | Sections | Main text | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience | 1.000 | 5 | 3 | 100% |
| 2 | Klaassen, Franc J.G.M. and Magnus, Jan R (2009) The efficiency of top agents: An analysis through service strategy in tennis | 0.874 | 5 | 2 | 100% |
| 3 | Mas, Alexandre and Pallais, Amanda (2017) Valuing Alternative Work Arrangements | 0.644 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 4 | Stern, Scott (2004) Do Scientists Pay to Be Scientists? | 0.644 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 5 | Ryan, Richard M. and Deci, Edward L (2024) Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
| 6 | Ariely, Dan and Kamenica, Emir and Prelec, Drazen (2008) Man's search for meaning: The case of legos | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
| 7 | Bénabou, Roland and Tirole, Jean (2003) Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
| 8 | Gneezy, Uri and Rustichini, Aldo (2000) Pay enough or don't pay at all | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
| 9 | Gneezy, Uri and Rustichini, Aldo (2000) A Fine is a Price | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
| Bandiera05 | unmatched citation key Bandiera05 | 0.405 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
Showing the top 10 of 36 scored citations. 1 of these could not be matched to a bibliography entry, so only the citation key is shown.