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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Basu, Arnab K. (Cornell University); Chau, Nancy H. (Cornell University); Kundu, Anustup (UNU-WIDER); Sen, Kunal (UNU-WIDER) |
| Abstract: | Economic theory predicts that dishonesty thrives in secrecy. Yet, team-based decisions are ubiquitous in public policy-making. How does teamwork influence the tendency for selfdealings when public servants – both honest and corrupt – must work together to make decisions under the veil of within-group secrecy? This paper designs a field experiment guided by a theoretical model of team-level dishonesty, where we define and unpack the drivers of the dishonesty concessions that individuals make in a team-setting as a cooperative bargain between team players. The experiment is implemented in a sample of village council (Gram Panchayat) members in the State of West Bengal in India, extending the die roll experiment à la Fischbacher and Föllmi-Heusi (2013). By bringing together evidence pointing to the distinctive contributions of peer dishonesty influence, social image concerns (e.g as a gender- and seniority-based marker), and power asymmetry effects (e.g. between politicians in reserved and openly contested seats) in guiding the dishonesty concessions individuals choose to make in a team, our findings shed light on the salience and nuanced role of committee composition in teams of public officials. |
| Keywords: | politician dishonesty, peer effects, social image, power asymmetry |
| JEL: | D9 O12 K42 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17628 |
| By: | Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George (Columbia University); Jiménez-Durán, Rafael (Bocconi University); McCrosky, Jesse (IGIER, Chicago Booth Stigler Center, and CESifo); Stalinski, Mateusz (University of Warwick and CAGE) |
| Abstract: | Most social media users have encountered harassment online, but there is scarce evidence of how this type of toxic content impacts engagement. In a pre-registered browser extension field experiment, we randomly hid toxic content for six weeks on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Lowering exposure to toxicity reduced advertising impressions, time spent, and other measures of engagement, and reduced the toxicity of user-generated content. A survey experiment provides evidence that toxicity triggers curiosity and that engagement and welfare are not necessarily aligned. Taken together, our results suggest that platforms face a trade-off between curbing toxicity and increasing engagement. |
| Keywords: | toxic content, moderation, social media, user engagement, browser experiment JEL Classification: C93, D12, D83, D90, I31, L82, L86, M37, Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:741 |
| By: | Henning Hermes; Marina Krauß; Philipp Lergetporer; Frauke Peter; Simon Wiederhold |
| Abstract: | This field experiment investigates the causal impact of mothers’ perceptions of gender norms on their employment attitudes and labor-supply expectations. We provide mothers of young children in Germany with information about the prevailing gender norm regarding maternal employment in their city. At baseline, over 70% of mothers incorrectly perceive this gender norm as too conservative. Our randomized treatment improves the accuracy of these perceptions, significantly reducing the share of mothers who misperceive gender norms as overly conservative. The treatment also shifts mothers’ own labor-market attitudes towards being more liberal—and we show that specifically the shifted attitude is a strong predictor of mothers’ future labor-market participation. Consistently, treated mothers are significantly more likely to plan an increase in their working hours one year ahead. |
| Keywords: | gender norms, maternal employment, gender equality, randomized controlled trial |
| JEL: | J16 J18 J22 C93 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp1216 |
| By: | David Gonzalez-Jimenez (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Francesco Capozza (WZB - Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung); Thomas Dirkmaat; Evelien van de Veer; Amber van Druten; Aurélien Baillon (EM - EMLyon Business School) |
| Abstract: | Prior experiences are crucial in shaping risk prevention behavior. Previous studies have shown that experiencing a simulated phishing attack (a "phishing drill") reduces the likelihood of clicking on unsafe links and disclosing one's password. In a large field experiment involving 670 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their 33, 000 employees, we examined the impact of experience on individuals' ability to detect cyber-security threats, and whether this effect persisted over several months. We collected data at both the company and individual levels, including risk preference, time preference, and trust. Our findings indicate only a non-systematic, short-term effect of previous phishing emails on clicking behavior. A cluster of individuals with greater patience, trust, and risk seeking was more likely to click on phishing links in the first place but then also more likely to benefit from phishing drills. |
| Keywords: | Field experiment, Replication, Phishing drill, Prevention, Patience, Risk attitude |
| Date: | 2025–02–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04875787 |
| By: | Xinqi Chen; Xingyu Bai; Zeyu Zheng; Nian Si |
| Abstract: | Randomized experiments, or A/B testing, are the gold standard for evaluating interventions but are underutilized in the area of inventory management. This study addresses this gap by analyzing A/B testing strategies in multi-item, multi-period inventory systems with lost sales and capacity constraints. We examine switchback experiments, item-level randomization, pairwise randomization, and staggered rollouts, analyzing their biases theoretically and comparing them through numerical experiments. Our findings provide actionable guidance for selecting experimental designs across various contexts in inventory management. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2501.11996 |
| By: | Otálvaro-Ramírez, Susana; Scartascini, Carlos; Streb, Jorge M. |
| Abstract: | Transparency initiatives are well-known tools to foster trust and empower citizens. To explain why some governments introduce them but others do not, we model these initiatives as a signal that complements the information provided by visible government performance and conduct a randomized survey experiment in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the incumbent mayor made a set of post-electoral promises. In a setting with relatively high trust priors, our results show that these initiatives matter in shaping citizens' perceptions of the reputation of the government. We find, however, strong heterogeneity among three groups of citizens. A group unfamiliar with the policy was impervious to treatment: they seem to react to deeds, not words, and have, on average, lower initial trust. The treatment effects are entirely through those vaguely familiar with the promises, closing the average gap in trust with those familiar with the promises. More generally, our study suggests that transparency initiatives may be an effective signal, though their informational value may be more limited than visible public performance. |
| JEL: | D72 D78 D82 D83 H41 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:13970 |
| By: | Hufe, Paul (University of Bristol); Weishaar, Daniel (LMU Munich) |
| Abstract: | The measurement of preferences often relies on surveys in which individuals evaluate hypothetical scenarios. This paper proposes and validates a novel factorial survey tool to measure fairness preferences. We examine whether a non-incentivized survey captures the same distributional preferences as an impartial spectator design, where choices may apply to a real person. In contrast to prior studies, our design involves high stakes, with respondents determining a real person's monthly earnings, ranging from $500 to $5, 700. We find that the non-incentivized survey module yields nearly identical results compared to the incentivized experiment and recovers fairness preferences that are stable over time. Furthermore, we show that most respondents adopt intermediate fairness positions, with fewer exhibiting strictly egalitarian or libertarian preferences. In sum, these findings suggest that high-stake incentives do not significantly impact the measurement of fairness preferences and that non-incentivized survey questions covering realistic scenarios offer valuable insights into the nature of these preferences. |
| Keywords: | fairness preferences, survey experiment, vignette studies |
| JEL: | C90 D63 I39 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17629 |
| By: | Ayllón, Sara (Universitat de Girona); Zamora, Camila (Autonomous University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the results of a field experiment aimed at reducing the gender bias in teaching evaluations at a higher education institution. In the intervention, before they completed the teaching evaluation questionnaire, students were individually randomized in three groups. One third received an email invitation to watch a video that informed them of the existence of implicit bias (treatment 1). Another third of the students received an email invitation to watch a video with an explicit message that made them aware of the presence of gender bias in teaching evaluations (treatment 2). This second video also mentioned the fact that the academic literature has shown that this form of discrimination often originates with male students. At the end of both videos, all the students treated were asked to avoid displaying prejudice when they completed the questionnaire. The final third of students was assigned to the control group and did not receive any message. The results indicate that the video on implicit bias served to reduce the score gap between male and female lecturers. However, the video on gender bias had an unintended consequence: male students in the treatment group awarded their female teachers even lower scores than did the control group — confirming the risk of backlash or reactance in this kind of debiasing campaign. Such an effect was found to be particularly strong in female-dominated academic contexts. |
| Keywords: | gender bias, field experiment, gender discrimination, teaching evaluations, higher education, Spain |
| JEL: | C93 I23 J71 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17632 |
| By: | Nikolova, Milena (University of Groningen); Angrisani, Marco (University of Southern California) |
| Abstract: | Can people develop trust in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by learning about its developments? We conducted a survey experiment in a nationally representative panel survey in the United States (N = 1, 491) to study whether exposure to news about AI influences trust differently than learning about non-AI scientific advancements. The results show that people trust AI advancements less than non-AI scientific developments, with significant variations across domains. The mistrust of AI is the smallest in medicine, a high-stakes domain, and largest in the area of personal relationships. The key mediators are context- specific: fear is the most critical mediator for linguistics, excitement for medicine, and societal benefit for dating. Personality traits do not affect trust differences in the linguistics domain. In medicine, mistrust of AI is higher among respondents with high agreeableness and neuroticism scores. In personal relationships, mistrust of AI is strongest among individuals with high openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Furthermore, mistrust of AI advancements is higher among women than men, as well as among older, White, and US-born individuals. Our results have implications for tailored communication strategies about AI advancements in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. |
| Keywords: | Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), survey experiment, Artificial Intelligence (AI), trust, United States |
| JEL: | C91 D83 O33 Z10 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17635 |
| By: | Hualin Xiao (LSCP - Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique - DEC - Département d'Etudes Cognitives - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IJN - Institut Jean-Nicod - DEC - Département d'Etudes Cognitives - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CdF (institution) - Collège de France - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Département de Philosophie - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, UM6P - Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique = Mohammed VI Polytechnic University [Ben Guerir]); Antoine Marie (IJN - Institut Jean-Nicod - DEC - Département d'Etudes Cognitives - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CdF (institution) - Collège de France - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Département de Philosophie - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Aarhus University [Aarhus]); Brent Strickland (UM6P - Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique = Mohammed VI Polytechnic University [Ben Guerir], IJN - Institut Jean-Nicod - DEC - Département d'Etudes Cognitives - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CdF (institution) - Collège de France - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Département de Philosophie - ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres) |
| Abstract: | Exploring what modulates people's trust in evidence of hiring discrimination is crucial to the deployment of corrective policies. Here, we explore one powerful source of variation in such judgments: moral commitment to gender equality (MCGE), that is, perceptions of the issue as a moral imperative and as identity‐defining. Across seven experiments (N = 3579), we examined folk evaluations of scientific reports of hiring discrimination in academia. Participants who were more morally committed to gender equality were more likely to trust rigorous, experimental evidence of gender discrimination against women. This association between moral commitment and research evaluations was not reducible to prior beliefs, and largely explained a sex difference in people's evaluations on the issue. On a darker note, however, MCGE was associated with increased chances of fallaciously inferring discrimination against women from contradictory evidence. Overall, our results suggest that moral convictions amplify people's myside bias, bringing about both benefits and costs in the public consumption of science. |
| Keywords: | Reference, Memory, Events, Completion, Mental files, Singular thought |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04876452 |
| By: | Alessandro Stringhi (Università degli Studi di Siena); Sara Gil-Gallen (Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italian National Research Council); Andrea Albertazzi (IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how competition between groups affects cooperation. In the control condition, pairs of subjects play an indefinitely repeated Prisoner s Dilemma game without external competition. In the treatment, two pairs compete against each other. No monetary rewards are tied to winning, isolating the bare impact of competition. In the treatment, cooperation increases by 16 percentage points. Strategies estimation shows a shift from selfish strategies (Always Defect) to cooperative ones (Grim Trigger). A theoretical model provides a rationale for the experimental results. |
| Keywords: | Competition, Cooperation, Prisoner s Dilemma, Repeated game |
| JEL: | C73 C92 D81 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2025.03 |
| By: | Albertazzi, Andrea (IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca); Stringhi, Alessandro; Gil-Gallen, Sara |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how competition between groups affects cooperation. In the control condition, pairs of subjects play an indefinitely repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma game without external competition. In the treatment, two pairs compete against each other. No monetary rewards are tied to winning, isolating the bare impact of competition. In the treatment, cooperation increases by 16 percentage points. Strategies estimation shows a shift from selfish strategies (Always Defect) to cooperative ones (Grim Trigger). A theoretical model provides a rationale for the experimental results. |
| Date: | 2025–01–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:xf43q |
| By: | van den Berg, Gerard J. (University of Groningen); Stephan, Gesine (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg); Uhlendorff, Arne (CREST) |
| Abstract: | Inequality is a dynamic phenomenon, and the relative and absolute positions of individuals are subject to frequent shocks. It is important to know if preventive interventions mitigate adverse inequality effects of labor market shocks. We consider individuals up to three months before the envisaged termination of their employment and we study effects of pre-unemployment participation in active labor market programs (ALMP) on labor market outcomes using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). This complements the vast literature on ALMP for unemployed workers. Policies include signing an integration agreement (IA), preparing an action plan (AP) before the first meeting with a caseworker, and the combination of both. Results suggest that the IA - particularly when combined with the AP - increases the probability of employment around 4 months after registration as soon-to-be unemployed. This is driven by workers with a relatively high unemployment risk following registration. Thus, the policies contribute to reducing societal inequality. |
| Keywords: | inequality, unemployment, work, job-to-job transitions, integration agreements, action plans, randomized controlled trial, job search, monitoring, counseling, machine learning |
| JEL: | J68 J64 C93 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17612 |
| By: | Albert Park (Economic Research and Development Impact Department (ERDI), Asian Development Bank); Yasuyuki Sawada (Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo); Menghan Shen (School of Government, Sun Yatsen University); Sangui Wang (China Institute of Poverty Alleviation, Renmin University of China); Heng Wang (School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China); Ze Wang (The University of Tokyo) |
| Abstract: | The paper examines the impact of having a mentally disordered peer on middle school students’ social preferences after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China. Using random classroom assignments, height-based seating arrangements, and lab-inthe-field experiments such as dictator and public goods games, the study has found that having a disabled peer significantly enhances altruistic behavior, driven largely by empathy among students with shared traumatic experiences. These findings highlight how peer effects in post-disaster contexts foster social cohesion and prosocial behaviors, reflecting a self-recovery mechanism inherent in human nature that may mitigate secondary trauma and improve welfare. |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tky:fseres:2025cf1239 |
| By: | Milovanska-Farrington, Stefani (The University of Tampa); Mateer, Dirk (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Abstract: | The sunk cost fallacy is typically covered in introductory economics courses. It is among the most important biases that influence decision making. Ronayne et al. (2021a, b) find evidence of behavior consistent with the sunk cost effect and utilize eight questions that measure individuals' susceptibility to the sunk cost fallacy. We extend their research by examining whether a "pop culture" teaching intervention in principles of microeconomics lowers students' predisposition to the fallacy. We find that students become -14.95% less susceptible to the sunk cost fallacy after learning about it. We also observe that students who have taken economics previously exhibit lower susceptibility in all time periods. |
| Keywords: | controlled experiment, empirical test, introductory economics, sunk cost fallacy, teaching economics |
| JEL: | A20 A22 I21 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17639 |
| By: | Björn Bartling; Alexander W. Cappelen; Ingvild L. Skarpeid; Erik Ø. Sørensen; Bertil Tungodden |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates how people differentiate between inequality caused by talent and inequality caused by luck in a large-scale study of the US population. We establish that people distinguish significantly between inequality due to luck and inequality due to talent, even when controlling for their beliefs about the extent to which these factors are within individual control. We refer to this as the “talent paradox.” In a novel experiment, we provide evidence suggesting that individuals are more accepting of inequality caused by talent than by luck because the benefits of talent are only realized if one acts upon it. In contrast, manipulating the extent to which talent is perceived as a personal characteristic has no effect on inequality acceptance. Our findings provide new evidence on the nature of people’s fairness views that sheds light on the political debate on the acceptability of inequality in society. |
| Keywords: | Talent, luck, effort, fairness, inequality |
| JEL: | C9 D63 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zur:econwp:464 |
| By: | Anna Schulze-Tilling |
| Abstract: | Carbon labels have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint of consumption choices in several contexts. But are they also an effective policy tool? This depends on how the reductions produced by carbon labels relate to what can be achieved with the alternative policy tools we have available. This paper establishes a comparison to carbon taxes, using several field experiments in the student canteen. I estimate that carbon labels reduce carbon emissions by approx. 4%, and that a carbon tax of €120 per ton would be needed to achieve similar reductions with price changes alone. This comparison conveys that carbon labels are relatively effective: €120 per ton exceeds current EU ETS trading prices by more than 150% and is three times the current German carbon tax on gasoline. Furthermore, I provide evidence that the main reason carbon labels are effective is not that they are able to correct consumers’ misperceptions about carbon footprints. Instead, they appear to primarily influence consumers by directing attention towards carbon emissions at the moment of choice. |
| Keywords: | carbon footprint, food consumption, welfare, behavioral intervention, field experiment |
| JEL: | D12 C91 C93 Q18 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_639 |
| By: | Mohammed Abdellaoui (GREGHEC - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Emmanuel Kemel (GREGHEC - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Ferdinand M Vieider; Amma Panin (University of Louvain,) |
| Abstract: | We present a novel method-called risk equivalents-that uses a single measure to elicit discount rates while avoiding concerns about the shape of the utility function. The method is valid under discounted expected utility (DEU), and also under several of its behavioral extensions including more general models that account for a biased perception of time and risk (such as time-or likelihood-insensitivity). We implement the method in a field experiment in India measuring inter-temporal discount rates for money and the consumption of tea.We empirically observe that discount rates elicited by traditional methods are related to utility curvature, whereas discount rates elicited by risk equivalents are not. Risk equivalents also mitigate differences in discount rates measured for money and for tea, suggesting that unaddressed utility curvature may play a role in results that demonstrate good-specific discounting.Risk equivalents are general, fast and tractable, three features that are particularly useful in field studies. |
| Keywords: | time discounting money vs consumption utility confound JEL-classification: D03 D81 D91, time discounting, money vs consumption, utility confound JEL-classification: D03, D81, D91 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04866738 |
| By: | Jarod T. Apperson; A. Nayena Blankson; Francesina Jackson; Angelino Viceisza; Bruce Wade; Jimmeka Guillory Wright |
| Abstract: | Roughly 25 percent of first-year college students do not return for a second year. This has led to a range of policies and interventions aimed at increasing college performance, persistence, and graduation. In this article, we assess whether cognitive strategy instruction (CSI) has the potential to improve student performance in college. We conducted two randomized controlled trials in a mandatory, year-long, first-year, reading/writing-intensive course at Spelman College, a private historically Black institution for women. We find that CSI at best impacts grade-related outcomes like GPA, but not metacognitive knowledge or persistence. Future work will explore the impacts on longer-run outcomes such as graduation. |
| JEL: | C93 D91 I23 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33380 |
| By: | Gilles Grolleau (ESSCA School of Management Lyon); Murat C Mungan (Texas A&M University – School of Law); Naoufel Mzoughi (ECODEVELOPPEMENT - Ecodéveloppement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Using an original experimental survey, we analyze how people perceive punishments generated by artificial intelligence (AI) compared to the same punishments generated by a human judge. We use two vignettes pertaining to two different albeit relatively common illegal behaviors, namely not picking up one's dog waste on public roads and setting fire in dry areas.In general, participants perceived AI judgements as having a larger deterrence effect compared to the those rendered by a judge. However, when we analyzed each scenario separately, we found that the differential effect of AI is only significant in the first scenario. We discuss the implications of these findings |
| Keywords: | Artificial intelligence, AI, Judges, Punishments, Unethical acts, Wrongdoings |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04854067 |
| By: | Alexandra Avdeenko; Jakob Gärtner; Marc Gillaizeau; Ghida Karbala; Laura Montenbruck; Giulia Montresor; Atika Pasha; Galina Zudenkova |
| Abstract: | We conduct a randomized controlled trial in rural Pakistan, comparing the effects of a remote awareness campaign with and without Imam-led loudspeaker endorsements on strategies to contain disease spread. Our results show that labor supply and social interactions decrease significantly only when religious leaders support the campaign, particularly among men. These results cannot be explained by differences in the mode or frequency of treatment across groups. Our findings—compatible with predictions from a model that analyzes the individual trade-off between prevention benefits and losses from forgone income—highlight the critical role of religious figures in shaping public responses to health crises. |
| Keywords: | Labor, Health, Religion |
| JEL: | I12 I18 D80 D81 O10 Z12 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_621 |
| By: | Tomoki Fujii (Singapore Management University); Christine Ho (Singapore Management University); Rohan Ray (National University of Singapore); Abu S. Shonchoy (Department of Economics, Florida International University) |
| Abstract: | Extended school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted students' study habits and routine educational engagement, specially in low-income settings where distance education often fails to reach disadvantaged populations. We use a field experiment in rural Bangladesh to determine whether increasing parental engagement can mitigate these disruptions, particularly in the post-pandemic recovery stage. Our findings reveal that a high-frequency information intervention—delivered through weekly text messages and automated voice calls—significantly increases parents' awareness and children's self-study hours, particularly in households lacking access to technology. By disseminating information on available learning resources, teachers' contact details, and the benefits of education, the intervention boosts daily self-study hours by 15 percent. Although Bangladesh's simplified post-pandemic school promotion and shortened syllabus constrained our ability to measure academic improvements, the intervention narrowed study-hour inequalities, promoting upward mobility (and reducing downward mobility) among households without technology access. Shapley-value decomposition analyses indicate that 5-20 percent of the reduced inequality is attributable to the direct treatment effect. Better parental involvement—encouraging children to use learning resources and more household investment in private tutoring—appears to be an important causal channel. Our findings underscore the potential of scalable, low-cost, parent-focused programs to bolster learning continuity under adverse conditions — particularly important for low- and middle-income countries. |
| Keywords: | high-frequency information, study hours, post-pandemic recovery |
| JEL: | D91 H75 I24 I25 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fiu:wpaper:2501 |
| By: | Jeongbin Kim; Thomas R. Palfrey; Jeffrey Zeidel |
| Abstract: | Crisis bargaining games are widely used to analyze bilateral conflicts, featuring strategic bluffing akin to poker. Players risk substantial losses from overplaying their hand but can secure significant gains if their opponent concedes. Since decisions in crises typically emerge from collective decision processes within organizations composed of diverse individual members, we use the team equilibrium solution concept to analyze these games, providing a framework for group strategic decision-making under collective choice rules (Kim, et al. 2022). In a team equilibrium, group members have rational expectations about opponents' strategies and share common average payoffs, with private payoff perturbations. Voting rules determine group decisions, assuming optimal voting behavior. Depending on the payoff structure, collective choice rules can lead to more or less bluffing and varying aggression compared to Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium. Our experiment varies game payoffs, group size, and voting rules. Behavior is inconsistent with Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium but broadly consistent with team equilibrium predictions. |
| JEL: | C72 C91 D74 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33392 |
| By: | Laura Montenbruck |
| Abstract: | This article provides evidence that increased salience of public service provision can strengthen the social contract and increase tax compliance in a low-capacity setting. I conduct a field experiment randomizing information about public service provision across 5, 494 property owners and tenants in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Receiving information increases property tax payments by 20% on average. The effect is driven by increases in tax compliance on both the extensive and intensive margin. Residents of low-value properties are 7–16 percentage points more likely to pay taxes when informed about public services that are both geographically accessible and respond to the citizens’ most urgent needs, suggesting a benefit-based approach to taxation. Revenue effects are largely driven by residents of high-value properties, who depend less on the public provision of services, and for whom the treatment seems to act as a more general signal of government performance. |
| Keywords: | Social contract, Property tax, Public services, Tax compliance |
| JEL: | H20 O23 D73 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_620 |
| By: | Kento Tango; Junichi Kikuchi; Yoshiyuki Nakazono |
| Abstract: | This study employs randomized control trial methods to explore how information selection and processing contribute to the heterogeneity in consumers’ inflation expectations. We find that, first, respondents vary in their preferences for inflation forecasts from established institutions. Second, providing credible information about future inflation helps stabilize expectations, with follow-up surveys indicating that this effect persists for at least one month. Third, respondents revise their expectations more extensively when provided with additional information. Fourth, respondents incorporate information more fully when they can choose the information they view. Individuals with exposure to interest rate risk are more likely to focus on relevant signals. |
| Date: | 2025–01–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:toh:tupdaa:62 |
| By: | Ismaël Rafaï (Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, AMSE); Bérengère Davin-Casalena (Observatoire Régional de la Santé); Dimitri Dubois (CEE-M); Bruno Ventelou (Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, AMSE) |
| Abstract: | Background. Earlier detection of neurodegenerative diseases may help patients plan for their future, achieve a better quality of life, access clinical trials and possible future disease modifying treatments. Due to recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), a significant help can come from the computational approaches targeting diagnosis and monitoring. Yet, detection tools are still underused. We aim to investigate the factors influencing individual valuation of AI-based prediction tools. Methods. We study individual valuation for early diagnosis tests for neurodegenerative diseases when Artificial Intelligence Diagnosis is an option. We conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment on a representative sample of the French adult public (N=1017), where we presented participants with a hypothetical risk of developing in the future a neurodegenerative disease. We ask them to repeatedly choose between two possible early diagnosis tests that differ in terms of (1) type of test (biological tests vs AI tests analyzing electronic health records); (2) identity of whom communicates tests’ results; (3) sensitivity; (4) specificity; and (5) price. We study the weight in the decision for each attribute and how socio-demographic characteristics influence them. Results. Our results are twofold: respondents indeed reveal a reduced utility value when AI testing is at stake (that is evaluated to 36.08 euros in average, IC = [22.13; 50.89]) and when results are communicated by a private company (95.15 €, IC = [82.01; 109.82]). Conclusion. We interpret these figures as the shadow price that the public attaches to medical data privacy. The general public is still reluctant to adopt AI screening on their health data, particularly when these screening tests are carried out on large sets of personal data. |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aim:wpaimx:2432 |
| By: | URATANI Akane; SEKIZAWA Yoichi; KURITA Kohei; MATSUTOMO Mie; SHIKO Yuki; SHIMIZU Eiji |
| Abstract: | Objective: Workers may experience p anxiety and stress related to work and professional life. In addition to problems with the quantity and quality of work, job failures, and responsibilities, there are also unreasonable reassignments and One surgery, Significant workplace stress, such as workplace bullying, can lead to the development of depression, adjustment disorder, and other mental illnesses. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy web-based psychoeducation program (Psychoeducation: PE group) was more effective than a control group (CON group) of a sham web-based educational program for adult workers who suffer from painful memories of workplace stress. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with two groups of workers aged 18 to 65 years old who suffered from painful memories of workplace stress: a web-based psychoeducation program (PE) group that met once a week for 20 minutes for a total of four sessions (4 weeks), and a control sham web-based education program (CON) group. The primary endpoint was the IES-R, which measures posttraumatic stress symptoms. Secondary measures of health and work performance (WHO-HPQ), depression (PHQ-9, CES-D), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep (AIS), core schema (BCSS), and strength and difficulty (SDQ) were measured at 4 and 8 weeks. Results: A total of 1010 patients who met the eligibility criteria were assigned to the two groups, and 533 patients (269 in the PE group and 264 in the CON group) who participated in the program at least once were included in the analysis. At 4 weeks (immediately after completion of the program), the PE group showed no significant difference in the IES-R of the primary endpoint compared to the CON group, but pre- and post- comparisons showed an improvement in the respective IES-R of both PE and CON groups. Other secondary assessments also showed no significant differences between groups at 4 weeks, but the PE group showed significant improvement compared to the CON group on a 5-point scale of overall improvement at 8 weeks. Because of the limitations of the study, including the lack of data comparing the non-intervention group (or wait-list group) to a third control group, interpretation of the results of this study should be approached with caution and a larger study with a different study design is required. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:rdpsjp:25002 |
| By: | Chimbutane, Feliciano (Eduardo Mondlane University); Karachiwalla, Naureen (IFPRI, International Food Policy Research Institute); Herrera-Almanza, Catalina (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Leight, Jessica (International Food Policy Research Institute); Lauchande, Carlos (Universidade Pedagogica Maputo) |
| Abstract: | Motivated by extremely low levels of basic reading skills in sub-Saharan Africa, we experimentally evaluate two interventions designed to enhance students' early-grade literacy performance in rural Mozambique: a relatively light-touch teacher training in early-grade literacy along with the provision of pedagogical materials, and reacher training and materials in conjunction with community-level reading camps. Using data from 1, 596 third graders in 160 rural public primary schools, we find no evidence that either intervention improved teachers' pedagogical knowledge or practices or student or teacher attendance following two years of implementation. There are some weak positive effects on student reading as measured by a literacy assessment, primarily observed in a shift away from scores of zero, and these effects are consistent across arms. Our findings are consistent with the growing consensus that more intensive school- and/or community-based interventions are required to meaningfully improve learning. |
| Keywords: | teacher training, primary school, literacy, randomized control trial, Mozambique |
| JEL: | I25 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17611 |
| By: | Cédric Gutierrez (Bocconi University [Milan, Italy]); Emmanuel Kemel (GREGH - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion à HEC - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | The consequences of most economic decisions are uncertain; they are conditional on events with unknown probabilities that decision makers evaluate based on their beliefs. In addition to consequences and beliefs, the context that generates events-the source of uncertainty-can also impact preferences, a pattern called source dependence. Despite its importance, there is currently no definition of source dependence that allows for comparisons across individuals and sources. This paper presents a tractable definition of source dependence by introducing a function that matches the subjective probabilities of events generated by two sources. It also presents methods for estimating such functions from a limited number of observations that are compatible with commonly-used choice-based approaches for separating attitudes from beliefs. As an illustration, we implement these methods on three datasets, including two original experiments, and show that they consistently capture clear, albeit heterogeneous, patterns of source dependence between natural sources. Our approach provides a framework for future research to explore how source dependence varies across individuals and situations. |
| Keywords: | Decision under uncertainty ambiguity aversion sources of uncertainty subjective beliefs source dependence familiarity bias. JEL Classification: D81 DD91 C91, Decision under uncertainty, ambiguity aversion, sources of uncertainty, subjective beliefs, source dependence, familiarity bias. JEL Classification: D81, DD91, C91 |
| Date: | 2024–05–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04866878 |
| By: | Paul Gertler; Sean Higgins; Ulrike Malmendier; Waldo Ojeda |
| Abstract: | Firms frequently fail to adopt profitable business opportunities even when they do not face informational or liquidity constraints. We explore three behavioral frictions that explain inertia among individuals—present bias, limited memory, and distrust—in a managerial setting. In partnership with a FinTech payments company in Mexico, we randomly offer 33, 978 firms the opportunity to pay a lower merchant fee. We vary whether the offer has a deadline, reminder, pre-announced reminder, and the size of the fee reduction. Reminders increase take-up by 15%, suggesting a role of memory. Announced reminders increase take-up by an additional 7%. Survey data reveal the likely mechanism: When the FinTech company follows through with the pre-announced reminder, firms' trust in the offer increases. The deadline does not affect larger firms, implying limited or no present bias, but does increase take-up by 8% for smaller firms. Overall, behavioral frictions contribute significantly to explaining profit-reducing firm behavior. |
| JEL: | D9 G4 M1 O14 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33387 |
| By: | Elif Bodur |
| Abstract: | I investigate how media images, particularly advertisements, shape audiences’ aspirations. Utilizing the natural experiment in East Germany, I demonstrate that exposure to Western TV during the formative years of childhood and adolescence increases the income aspirations of males. Additionally, through an online experiment, I highlight that advertisements not only elevate income aspirations but also diminish the desire to have children among male adolescents. The latter particularly holds when the advertisements portray equal sharing of childcare responsibilities within couples. Notably, the effects of media exposure vary depending on their mothers’ labor market status. These findings underscore the pivotal role of media in perpetuating and reinforcing stereotypical gender roles. |
| Keywords: | media, advertisements, gender, aspirations, choice scenarios, beliefs |
| JEL: | J16 J22 L82 M3 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_627 |
| By: | Florence Euzéby; Juliette Passebois Ducros (IRGO - Institut de Recherche en Gestion des Organisations - UB - Université de Bordeaux - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Bordeaux); Sarah Machat |
| Abstract: | While social media influencers' impact on consumer choices in brands and products has been extensively studied, their influence in the realm of arts and culture, particularly literature, remains underexplored. This study fills this gap by examining the influence of literary influencers, or "book influencers", on readers' book choices and their likelihood of following such recommendations. Using source theory as our framework, we develop a model focused on the perceived credibility of these influencers. We hypothesize that this credibility depends on the influencer's characteristics, like popularity, and the reader's literary preferences, such as genre specialization. Our empirical experiment with 280 French readers reveals that an influencer's perceived credibility significantly affects readers' intentions to read a book, only when the influencer is less popular. This effect is amplified when readers lack genre specialization, indicating omnivorous reading habits. These findings challenge initial hypotheses and open new avenues for research into the role of literary influencers in shaping readers' choices. [Abstract from author] |
| Keywords: | Book influencers, Credibility, Omnivorousness, Readers' choices, Social media, Influencer marketing, Brand choice, Consumer preferences, Reading interests, Artistic influence |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04886682 |
| By: | Ariong, Richard M.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; Van Campenhout, Bjorn |
| Abstract: | Uganda’s dairy sector faces persistent challenges in milk quality, particularly low butterfat and solids-not-fat (SNF) levels. This study uses a multilevel randomized control trial with interventions at both Milk Collection Center (MCC) and farmer levels to identify some of the barriers that prevent quality upgrading within dairy value chains. Innovations included milk analyzers, digital record-keeping, and farmer-focused educational campaigns. Results showed significant improvements in milk quality at MCCs using analyzers, with higher butterfat and SNF levels and reduced adulteration. However, adoption varied widely, and uniform price setting by processors failed to incentivize quality improvements. Future efforts should focus on aligning financial incentives with quality, reducing adoption barriers, and fostering competitive markets to ensure sustainable quality upgrading in Uganda’s dairy value chain. |
| Keywords: | quality assurance; dairy value chains; value chains; innovation; Uganda; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:cgiarp:168160 |
| By: | Rainey, Carlisle |
| Abstract: | Recent work emphasizes the importance of statistical power and shows that power in the social sciences tends to be extremely low. In this paper, I offer simple rules that make statistical power more approachable for substantive researchers. The rules describe how researchers can compute power using (1) features of a reference population, (2) an existing study with a similar design and outcome, and/or (3) a pilot study. In the case of balanced, between-subjects designs (perhaps controlling for pre-treatment variables), these rules are sufficient for a complete and compelling power analysis for treatment effects and interactions using only paper-and-pencil. For more complex designs, these rules can provide a useful ballpark prediction before turning to specialized software or complex simulations. Most importantly, these rules help researchers develop a sharp intuition about statistical power. For example, it can be helpful for readers and researchers to know that experiments have 80\% power to detect effects that are 2.5 times larger than the standard error and how to easily form a conservative prediction of the standard error using pilot data. These rules lower the barrier to entry for researchers new to thinking carefully about statistical power and help researchers design powerful, informative experiments. |
| Date: | 2025–01–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:5am9q |