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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Seitz, William Hutchins; Yamada, Eiji; Shimizutani, Satoshi |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the effect of proposing a monetary incentive for vaccination intentions, with a survey-based randomized controlled experiment conducted separately in three countries, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Respondents from nationally representative surveys were randomly assigned to a control group (for which no incentive was proposed) or to one of several treatment groups with varying levels of hypothetical compensation. Offering incentives markedly reduced overall vaccination intentions —all three counties. Country-level results ranged from no meaningful effect on vaccination intentions (Tajikistan) to a decline of up to 22 percent (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan). In follow-up questions, most respondents said they disapprove of offering financial incentives for vaccination, and especially in contexts with strong negative effects in the experiment. The results contrast with the well-established efficacy of monetary incentives to influence vaccination behavior in other settings, but they are consistent with findings from the behavioral literature in which incentive payments signal inferiority or disutility. The findings suggest that policy makers and practitioners should use caution when considering extrinsic incentives for vaccination and other health interventions where effects have not been tested. |
| Date: | 2023–03–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10349 |
| By: | Chlond, Bettina; Goeschl, Timo; Kesternich, Martin; Werthschulte, Madeline |
| Abstract: | Many industrialized countries have recognized the need to mitigate energy cost increases faced by low-income households by fostering the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. How to meet this need is an open question, but "behavioral insights" are likely components of future policy designs. Applying well-established behavioral insights to low-income households raises questions of transportability as they are typically underrepresented in the existing evidence base. We illustrate this problem by conducting a randomized field experiment on scalable, low-cost design elements to improve program take-up in one of the world's largest energy efficiency assistance programs. Observing investment decisions of over 1, 800 low-income households in Germany's "Refrigerator Replacement Program", we find that the transportability problem is real and consequential: First, the most effective policy design would not have been chosen based on existing behavioral insights. Second, design elements favored by these insights either prove ineffective or even backfire, violating 'do no harm' principles of policy advice. Systematic testing remains crucial for addressing the transportability problem, particularly for policies targeting vulnerable groups. |
| Keywords: | Transportability, low-income households, field experiment, randomized controlled trial, governmental welfare programs, energy efficiency, technology adoption |
| JEL: | C93 D91 Q49 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:312197 |
| By: | Andersen, Simon Calmar (Aarhus University); Michel, Bastien (Aarhus University); Nielsen, Helena Skyt (Aarhus University) |
| Abstract: | We study the effect of peer coaching separately from the effect of training on teachers' implementation of new teaching techniques. We conducted a preregistered field experiment involving 68 teachers and 1, 490 students in Denmark. Teachers in an active control group took part in a teaching program that introduced new teaching techniques. On top of the teaching program, the treatment group received coaching from peers. External observers, blinded to the treatment status, assessed teachers' use of the program techniques in the classroom. While we observe increased transfer to teachers' practices, the overall effects are mixed, calling for caution. |
| Keywords: | coaching, knowledge transfer, school teachers, field experiment |
| JEL: | I21 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17728 |
| By: | Allemand, Mathias; Kirchberger, Martina; Sveta Milusheva; Newman, Carol Frances; Roberts, Brent; Thorne, Vincent |
| Abstract: | Despite extensive evidence on the importance of non-cognitive skills for labor market outcomes, to what extent training can affect specific skills in adulthood remains an open question. This paper conducts a randomized controlled trial with low-skilled employed workers in Senegal where workers were randomly assigned to receive a training intervention designed to affect conscientiousness-related skills. The study found that treated workers were significantly more likely to stay in their job and had higher earnings nine months after the intervention. The findings suggest that non-cognitive skills can be affected later in the life cycle and targeted training can have substantial labor market returns. |
| Date: | 2023–03–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10378 |
| By: | Evsyukova, Yulia; Rusche, Felix; Mill, Wladislaw |
| Abstract: | We assess the impact of discrimination on Black individuals' job networks across the U.S. using a two-stage field experiment with 400+ fictitious LinkedIn profiles. In the first stage, we vary race via AI-generated images only and find that Black profiles' connection requests are 13 percent less likely to be accepted. Based on users' CVs, we find widespread discrimination across social groups. In the second stage, we exogenously endow Black and White profiles with the same networks and ask connected users for career advice. We find no evidence of direct discrimination in information provision. However, when taking into account differences in the composition and size of networks, Black profiles receive substantially fewer replies. Our findings suggest that gatekeeping is a key driver of Black-White disparities. |
| Keywords: | Discrimination, Job Networks, Labor Markets, Field Experiment |
| JEL: | J71 J15 C93 J46 D85 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:312188 |
| By: | Shubhashrita Basu; Jason Fletcher; Qiongshi Lu; Jiacheng Miao; Lauren L. Schmitz |
| Abstract: | We examine whether genome-wide summary measures of genetic risk known as polygenic indices (PGIs) provide new insights into the efficacy of the Lung Health Study (LHS)–a large, randomized controlled trial (RCT) that evaluated the effect of a smoking cessation intervention program on cessation maintenance and lung function. Results indicate that the intervention was less successful for participants with higher PGIs for smoking initiation and intensity. Given the increasing availability and affordability of genomic data, we argue that in the context of RCTs, PGIs can further our understanding of heterogeneous treatment effects and the mechanisms that may be driving them. |
| JEL: | I1 I10 I18 J10 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33473 |
| By: | Grabe, Leonhard (University of Cologne); Sliwka, Dirk (University of Cologne) |
| Abstract: | We study the value of skill management in organizations. In a natural field experiment with 2, 582 service technicians, we vary managers' ability to monitor and manage employee skills. We find that removing managers' access to hard information on employee skills reduced training intensity, work performance, and job satisfaction. Combining detailed personnel records and survey data, we show that the intervention lowered employee efforts to identify training needs and managerial attention to employee development. In particular, high-skill employees received less training to broaden their skill set and, in turn, performance losses are driven by higher completion times for complex work assignments. |
| Keywords: | skill management, training, performance, field experiment |
| JEL: | J24 J28 M12 M53 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17727 |
| By: | Trevor Fitzpatrick; Seamus Kelly; Patrick Carey; David Walsh; Ruairi Nugent |
| Abstract: | The emergence of Generative AI (Gen AI) has motivated an interest in understanding how it could be used to enhance productivity across various tasks. We add to research results for the performance impact of Gen AI on complex knowledge-based tasks in a public sector setting. In a pre-registered experiment, after establishing a baseline level of performance, we find mixed evidence for two types of composite tasks related to document understanding and data analysis. For the Documents task, the treatment group using Gen AI had a 17% improvement in answer quality scores (as judged by human evaluators) and a 34% improvement in task completion time compared to a control group. For the Data task, we find the Gen AI treatment group experienced a 12% reduction in quality scores and no significant difference in mean completion time compared to the control group. These results suggest that the benefits of Gen AI may be task and potentially respondent dependent. We also discuss field notes and lessons learned, as well as supplementary insights from a post-trial survey and feedback workshop with participants. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.09479 |
| By: | Fiorin, Stefano; Hall, Joseph; Kanz, Martin |
| Abstract: | Debt moratoria that allow borrowers to postpone loan payments are a frequently used tool intended to soften the impact of economic crises. This paper reports results from a nationwide experiment with a large consumer lender in India, designed to study how debt forbearance offers affect loan repayment and banking relationships. In the experiment, borrowers receive forbearance offers that are presented either as an initiative of their lender or the result of government regulation. The results show that delinquent borrowers who are offered a debt moratorium by their lender are 4 percentage points (7 percent) less likely to default on their loan, while forbearance has no effect on repayment if it is granted by the regulator. Borrowers who are offered forbearance by their lender also have causally higher demand for future interactions with the lender: in a follow-up experiment conducted several months after the main intervention demand for a non-credit product offered by the lender is 10 percentage points (27 percent) higher among customers who were offered repayment flexibility by the lender than among customers who received a moratorium offer presented as an initiative of the regulator. Overall, the results suggest that, rather than generating moral hazard, debt forbearance can improve loan repayment and support the creation of longer-term banking relationships not only for liquidity but also for relational contracting reasons. This provides a rationale for offering repayment flexibility even in settings where lenders are not required to provide forbearance. |
| Date: | 2023–03–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10358 |
| By: | Ockenfels, Axel; Gallier, Carlo; Sturm, Bodo |
| Abstract: | International climate negotiations have so far failed to produce ambitious climate cooperation. We combine laboratory experiments with simulations to investigate the performance of two negotiation design features to address this failure: The Paris Agreement's ratchet-up mechanism, which requires countries to gradually increase their ambition, and a new policy proposal to negotiate more frequently. We find that more frequent interactions allow subjects to build trust and cooperation more safely over time. Conversely, subjects in a ratchet-up design tend to become more cautious to protect themselves from free riders. Thus, more frequent revisions of commitments promote cooperation, but the ratchet-up design fails to achieve the same result. |
| Keywords: | Climate change, climate negotiations, cooperation, laboratory experiments, simulations |
| JEL: | C72 C91 C92 D02 H41 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:312184 |
| By: | Davies, Elwyn Adriaan Robin; Deffebach, Peter William; Iacovone, Leonardo; Mckenzie, David J. |
| Abstract: | Standard in-person business training programs are costly and difficult to scale to the millions of microenterprises in the developing world. The authors conducted an experiment to test the feasibility, cost-savings, and impact of delivering live training sessions over Zoom to microentrepreneurs in Mexico and Guatemala. This paper demonstrates that it is now feasible to recruit and train self-employed women online, covering a wide geographic area, with few technology issues. However, the cost savings over in-person classes are less than expected. Training improved business practices and performance over two months, but the impacts had dissipated within six months. |
| Date: | 2023–09–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10574 |
| By: | Motta, Matt (Boston University School of Public Health); Liu, Yuning; Yarnell, Amanda |
| Abstract: | A substantial body of social scientific research considers the negative mental health consequences of social media use on TikTok. Fewer, however, have considered the potentially positive impact that mental health content creators (“influencers”) on TikTok can have to improve health outcomes; including the degree to which the platform exposes users to evidence-based mental health communication. We aim to remedy this shortcoming by influencing TikTok creator content-producing behavior via a large, within-subject field experiment (N = 105 creators with a reach of over 16 million TikTok followers; N = 3, 465 unique videos). Our randomly-assigned field intervention exposed influencers on the platform to either (a) asynchronous digital (.pdf) toolkits, or (b) both toolkits and synchronous virtual training sessions that aimed to promote effective evidence-based mental health communication (relative to a control condition, exposed to neither intervention). We find that creators treated with our asynchronous toolkits – and, in some cases, those also attending synchronous training sessions – were significantly more likely to (i) feature evidence-based mental health content in their videos and (ii) generate video content related to mental health issues. Moderation analyses further reveal that these effects are not limited to only those creators with followings under 2 million users. Importantly, we also document large system-level effects of exposure to our interventions; such that TikTok videos featuring evidence-based content received over half a million additional views in the post-intervention period in the study’s treatment groups, while mental health content (in general) received over two million additional views. We conclude by discussing how simple and cost-effective interventions like ours can be deployed at scale to influence mental health content production on TikTok. |
| Date: | 2023–10–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:amzdb_v1 |
| By: | Bächli, Mirjam (University of Lausanne); Lalive, Rafael (University of Lausanne); Pellizzari, Michele (University of Geneva) |
| Abstract: | Searching for jobs is challenging, and online platforms now often offer tailored job recommendations. In a randomized controlled trial with over 1, 250 participants, we evaluate recommendations based on prior experience and based on skill profiles assessed at study enrolment, respectively. We find that on average both types of recommendations improve job finding rates. Profile-based recommendations are especially effective for individuals with limited experience and mismatch in the prior job, while experience-based recommendations may slower job finding for those with limited experience but a well-matched previous job. These findings highlight the need to align job search advice with jobseekers' skills. |
| Keywords: | occupation recommendations, online job search, jobseekers |
| JEL: | J24 J62 J64 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17713 |
| By: | Caterina Cruciani (University of Ca’ Foscari [Venice, Italy]); Carlo Romano Marcello Alessandro Santagiustina (médialab - médialab (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po, University of Ca’ Foscari [Venice, Italy]); Costanza Sartoris (University of Ca’ Foscari [Venice, Italy]); Massimo Warglien (University of Ca’ Foscari [Venice, Italy]) |
| Abstract: | The survey focuses on different experimental paradigms and the implications of previous experimental work for understanding the causal antecedents of trust and conflictual language in social media, bridging different literatures and traditions of empirical research on trust. It provides a structured framework to analyze trust and understand the role of language for the emergence of collaborative or conflictual language within social media. |
| Keywords: | Social media, Trust, Trust games, Behavioural Economics, Collaborative language, Conflictual language, Experimental economics, Trust experiments, Trust Behavior |
| Date: | 2024–11–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04922031 |
| By: | Arne Lauber; Christoph March; Marco Sahm |
| Abstract: | We conduct a laboratory experiment to compare the fairness and intensity of round-robin tournaments with three symmetric players, a single prize, and two alternative match formats. Matches are either organized as lottery contests or all-pay auctions. Whereas we confirm the theoretical prediction that tournaments are less fair if matches are organized as all-pay auctions, we reject the predicted difference in tournament intensity. Moreover, the reason for the reduced fairness of tournaments based on all-pay auctions is also at odds with theory. In the lab, such tournaments heavily disfavor (in payoff-terms) the player acting in the final two matches. The reason is the substantially weaker than predicted discouragement of this player when competing first against the loser of the first match. Subjects try to exploit a perceived negative psychological momentum in such situations but only manage to end up in a dissipation trap: an effort-intense, final-like last match which significantly reduces their payoffs. |
| Keywords: | sequential round-robin tournaments, lottery contest, all-pay auction, laboratory experiment, discouragement effect, dissipation trap |
| JEL: | C72 C91 D72 Z20 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11677 |
| By: | Robin Bodenberger; Kirsten Thommes |
| Abstract: | The communication of uncertainties needs to be as precise as possible to enable the receiver of risk-messages to adapt their behavior appropriately. However, the communication of uncertainties comes with its own set of challenges as most senders prefer to communicate uncertainty through verbal probability phrases (e.g., likely) - a communication form characterized by its ambiguity and (framed) directionality. While it is well known that receivers often do not translate such phrases into the numerical probability intended by the sender, it is less clear how this discrepancy influences subsequent behavioral actions. By implementing a laboratory experiment, we show that individuals value uncertain options with medium to high likelihoods significantly lower when uncertainty is communicated verbally rather than numerically. This effect may lead to less rational decisions under verbal communication, particularly at high likelihoods. Those results remain consistent even if individuals translate verbal uncertainty correctly into the associate numerical uncertainty, implying that a biased behavioral response is not only induced by mistranslations. Instead, ambiguity about the exact meaning of a verbal phrase interferes with decision-making even beyond mere mistranslations. These findings tie in with previous research on ambiguity aversion, which has predominantly operationalized ambiguity through numerical ranges rather than verbal phrases. We conclude that managers and firms should carefully consider the impact of uncertainty framing on employees' decision-making and customer purchasing behavior, opting for numerical probabilities when possible. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.06241 |
| By: | Eßer, Jana; Flörchinger, Daniela; Frondel, Manuel; Sommer, Stephan |
| Abstract: | Cognitive inconsistency, the discrepancy between individuals' behavior and their self-image, can cause the psychological discomfort called cognitive dissonance. In this paper, we investigate whether providing information that enhances the salience of cognitive inconsistency can increase sustainable consumption. Specifically, we analyze whether individuals avoid cognitive inconsistency by (a) a change in behavior to comply with own attitudes and by (b) the denial of attitudes and of knowledge about the criticism of conventional online shopping. To this end, we embed an incentivized discrete-choice task in a large-scale survey conducted in Germany in 2021, with the choice being between a voucher for either a conventional or a sustainable online market place. With our experimental setting, we aim to increase the salience of cognitive inconsistency by either randomly reminding participants of their previously stated attitudes towards sustainable production or by informing them about the typical criticism of conventional online shopping. Our empirical results indicate that individuals adapt their behavior after having received the reminder of their stated attitudes and the criticism about conventional online shopping. Yet, participants do not deceive themselves by aligning their attitudes with their behavior or by denying to have been aware of the criticism. |
| Abstract: | Kognitive Inkonsistenz, d. h. die Diskrepanz zwischen dem Verhalten einer Person und ihrem Selbstbild, kann ein psychologisches Unbehagen hervorrufen, das als kognitive Dissonanz bezeichnet wird. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir, ob die Bereitstellung von Informationen, die die Bedeutung kognitiver Inkonsistenz erhöhen, den nachhaltigen Konsum steigern kann. Konkret analysieren wir, ob Individuen kognitive Inkonsistenz vermeiden, indem sie (a) ihr Verhalten ändern, um mit ihren eigenen Einstellungen übereinzustimmen, und (b) indem sie ihre Einstellungen und ihr Wissen über die Kritik am konventionellen Online-Shopping verleugnen. Zu diesem Zweck betten wir eine Discrete-Choice-Aufgabe in eine groß angelegte Befragung in Deutschland aus dem Jahr 2021 ein, bei der die Wahl zwischen einem Gutschein für einen konventionellen oder einen nachhaltigen Online-Marktplatz besteht. Mit unserem experimentellen Setting zielen wir darauf ab, die Salienz der kognitiven Inkonsistenz zu erhöhen, indem wir die Teilnehmenden entweder zufällig an ihre zuvor geäußerten Einstellungen zu nachhaltiger Produktion erinnern oder sie über die typische Kritik am konventionellen Online-Einkauf informieren. Unsere empirischen Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Personen ihr Verhalten anpassen, nachdem sie an ihre Einstellungen erinnert und über die Kritik am konventionellen Online-Shopping informiert wurden. Die Teilnehmenden täuschen sich jedoch nicht selbst, indem sie ihre Einstellungen mit ihrem Verhalten in Einklang bringen oder leugnen, von der Kritik gewusst zu haben. |
| Keywords: | Behavioral economics, cognitive dissonance, sustainable behavior |
| JEL: | A13 H23 D91 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:311295 |
| By: | Angel-Urdinola, Diego; Avitabile, Ciro; Chinen, Marjorie H |
| Abstract: | Many Ecuadorian students entering higher education have cognitive skills gaps in mathematics that undermine their ability to assimilate academic contents. This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effects on academic outcomes of a Digital Personalized Learning Software for mathematics remediation (the ALEKS software) offered to first-year students entering technical and technological higher education programs in Ecuador amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The possibility to use the software led to a large and marginally significant decline in the probability of repeating a course, as well as a very large positive impact on standardized test scores in math. The analysis finds no impact on the probability of enrolling in the third semester. When disaggregating the impacts, the findings show that the effects on repetition are particularly large for male students, possibly because of higher male enrollment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. When assessing the potential mechanisms, the findings show evidence that the software led to a net increase in hours dedicated to studying mathematics. The results suggest that Digital Personalized Learning Software can be a cost-effective solution for math remediation with potential for large-scale application. |
| Date: | 2023–06–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10483 |
| By: | Michel Armel Ndayikeza (Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, CERDI, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France) |
| Abstract: | Across low-income countries, limited prospects for high-skill employment and poverty push numerous college graduates into jobs which do not require a college degree. These types of experiences may be advantageous or detracting for the new graduates. To examine this issue, we conducted a field experiment in Burundi which elicited preferences of employers with respect to low-skill job experience of recent college graduates. We estimate the impact of signaling various types of low-skill experiences, such as working as a phone credit sales agent, a waiter, a security guard and other positions that do not necessitate a college degree, on the hiring interest of employers in a high-skill job. Results indicate that mentioning a low-skill experience on a resume increases by approximately 10% the hiring interest of employers. Furthermore, employers prefer job seekers with low-skill experience rather than individuals with no experience at all, irrespective of the quality of the job seeker. |
| Keywords: | Low-skill Jobs, Underemployment, Labor Demand, Job Search, Field Experiment, Incentivized Resume Rating |
| Date: | 2025–01–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04957036 |
| By: | Nataliia Bielova (PRIVATICS - Privacy Models, Architectures and Tools for the Information Society - Centre Inria de l'Université Grenoble Alpes - Inria - Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique - CITI - CITI Centre of Innovation in Telecommunications and Integration of services - INSA Lyon - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon - Université de Lyon - INSA - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Inria - Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique - Centre Inria de Lyon - Inria - Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique); Laura Litvine (BIT - Behavioural Insights Team); Anysia Nguyen (BIT - Behavioural Insights Team); Mariam Chammat (DITP - Interministerial Directorate for Public Transformation); Vincent Toubiana (Cnil - Commission nationale de l'informatique des libertés - CNIL); Estelle Hary (RMIT University - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University) |
| Abstract: | Today most websites in the EU present users with a consent banner asking about the use of cookies or other tracking technologies. Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) need to ensure that users can express their true preferences when faced with these banners, while simultaneously satisfying the EU GDPR requirements. To address the needs of the French DPA, we conducted an online experiment among 3, 947 participants in France exploring the impact of six different consent banner designs on the outcome of users' consent decision. We also assessed participants' knowledge and privacy preferences, as well as satisfaction with the banners. In contrast with previous results, we found that a "bright pattern" that highlights the decline option has a substantial effect on users' decisions. We also find that two new designs based on behavioral levers have the strongest effect on the outcome of the consent decision, and participants' satisfaction with the banners. Finally, our study provides novel evidence that the effect of design persists in a short time frame: designs can significantly affect users' future choices, even when faced with neutral banners. |
| Keywords: | GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation, Compliance, Decision-making, Consent banner, Cookie banner, Dark patterns, Interface design |
| Date: | 2024–08–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04913806 |
| By: | Brock, J. Michelle; Bussolo, Maurizio |
| Abstract: | Inequality of opportunity leads to misallocation of human capital and can affect economies via its impact on individual economic decision making. This paper studies the impact of inequality of opportunity on investment, using a laboratory experiment. The experiment randomized inequality of opportunity, then subjects chose to invest in a risky asset or savings. The results suggest that inequality of opportunity impacts investment choices only for people who are penalized by their circumstances and only once they learn the impact of inequality of opportunity on their relative position in the income distribution. This disadvantaged group invests more often and invests higher shares of their earnings than the control and advantaged groups. The fact that both inequality of opportunity and knowledge of relative position need to be present for the impact on investment to materialize points to the importance of peer effects. More broadly, the paper highlights the relevance of social preferences for understanding the effects of inequality of opportunity on individual decision making. |
| Date: | 2023–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10569 |
| By: | Orozco Olvera, Victor Hugo; Rascon Ramirez, Ericka G. |
| Abstract: | In northern Nigeria, half of primary school-age children attend school, half of girls are married before turning 15, and one in five people can read a whole sentence. Conducted in rural, low literate communities governed by traditional norms, this paper presents the results of a cluster randomized controlled trial that tested community screenings to reshape parental aspirations and attitudes toward education, and as a reinforcing arm, the distribution of mobiles with engaging apps to teach 6-9-year-old children to read. Twelve months after the screenings, children were 42 percent less likely to be out of school, but as expected, their learning levels did not improve. In the communities that were provided the mobile reinforcer, literacy and numeracy skills increased by 0.46 and 0.63 standard deviation, respectively. The impacts of the combined intervention on school attendance and learning gains were similar for boys and girls. For non-targeted older siblings, the intervention increased learning by 0.34 and 0.47 standard deviation and reduced the likelihood of teenage pregnancy and early entrance into the labor market by 13 and 14 percent, respectively. The mechanisms behind these effects include improved parental aspirations and expectations, improved attitudes and social norms, higher self-efficacy beliefs of parents, and increased time for home learning activities. Relative to other educational investments that have been evaluated in developing countries, the combined intervention is highly effective and cost-effective. |
| Date: | 2023–04–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10413 |
| By: | Balampama, Marianna; De Walque, Damien B. C. M.; Dow, William H.; Hémono, Rebecca |
| Abstract: | Female sex workers are a key population who experience a disproportionately high burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. A growing body of evidence suggests that financial incentives can reduce risky sexual behavior and the incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections; however, few studies have examined a lottery-based incentive mechanism or been conducted with female sex workers. This paper examines the effect of a lottery intervention on the combined incidence of HIV and herpes simplex virus 2 among female sex workers in Tanzania. The RESPECT II trial was an unmasked, two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania among 2, 206 enrollees from 2018 to 2021. Participants were randomized in a one-to-one ratio to the basic test control group or to the lottery intervention group. The basic test group received testing and counseling for HIV and biweekly text messages with information on safe sex practices. The lottery group received the basic test group intervention plus entry into a weekly lottery with a 100, 000 Tanzanian shilling (US$50) reward offered to 10 randomly selected participants, conditional on negative test results for syphilis and trichomonas. The primary outcome was combined HIV and herpes simplex virus 2 incidence after 36 months. The results showed no statistically significant effect on this primary outcome. Thus the study finds no evidence that the lottery-based incentives reduced the incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among the female sex worker population. However, the results may have been affected by disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, and unexpectedly high study attrition levels made it impossible to statistically rule out possible moderate-sized effects. |
| Date: | 2023–09–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10571 |
| By: | Reyes-Retana, Graciela; Pons, Gonzalo Antonio; Siegmann, Katharina; Afif, Zeina; Gomez-Garcia, Margarita; Soto-Mota, Pablo; Castaneda Farill, Carmen Elena |
| Abstract: | Natural resources management (NRM) helps protect forests and promote sustainable development. Although women are key in strengthening activities in NRM, they are dramatically underrepresented in public funding for forest projects in many countries, such as Mexico, limiting their participation and impact. While structural barriers, such as land tenure and low capacity, cause this problem, this is exacerbated by barriers such as lack of information, complex application processess, gender norms, and rural women’s low aspirations and limited agency and self-efficacy to participate in NRM projects. This paper tests whether additions and modifications to the standard outreach strategies of a call for proposals for NRM grants in Mexico increase the number of applications submitted by localities and the share of women participating. The study uses a randomized controlled trial in 113 rural localities, where the standard outreach approach (control) is complemented with additional information channels and simplified materials (treatment 1), aiming to appeal more directly to inexperienced populations. A second treatment group further modifies the informational materials using insights from behavioral science (loss aversion, norms framing, and others) and adds proactive text message reminders to prompt behavior (treatment 2), hoping to address the barriers to women’s participation. The results suggest that treatment 1 localities had, on average, 2.3 more applications per locality than the control group (increasing the participation of both men and women). Treatment 2 complemented this, having, on average, 6.4 more women per locality participating of these applications than in treatment 1. This shows that women manifested interest in participating in these activities. A representative survey of women in the study localities (1, 485 women in 52 localities) suggests that women in treatment localities were more likely to recognize the name of the project or informational materials. The analysis also suggests that the complementary strategies had no effect on the likelihood of being selected to receive a grant under the project, suggesting that additional support is needed to translate this increased interest into successful applications that would allow participation in NRM. |
| Date: | 2023–04–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10419 |
| By: | Piza, Caio; Furtado, Isabela Brandao; Amorim, Vivian De Fatima |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates whether providing financial education in elementary and middle school grades improves students' financial proficiency and actual behavior. It uses a cluster randomized control trial to evaluate a pilot program implemented in 101 Brazilian municipal schools in 2015. The findings show positive impacts on financial proficiency, mainly among middle school students, and suggestive evidence of improvements in short-term behavioral outcomes. However, the analysis indicates that the program did not impact students' school achievements in both the short and longer terms, which suggests that the program's effects were not strong enough to shift students' behavior decisions. |
| Date: | 2023–06–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10511 |
| By: | Baseler, Travis Andreas; Narayan, Ambar; Ng, Odyssia Sophie Si Jia; Sinha Roy, Sutirtha |
| Abstract: | People may avoid migrating if they cannot insure themselves against the risk of a bad outcome. Governments can reduce the consumption risk faced by migrants by allowing them to access social protection programs in the destination. This study randomly informed around 62, 000 households across 18 Indian states about a new program allowing migrants to collect their food ration across the country, together with information about practical barriers to using the program. Four months later, treated households held lower beliefs about food ration portability, and were less likely to migrate to cities. The findings indicate that food insecurity risk reduces urban migration. |
| Date: | 2023–08–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10549 |
| By: | Raluca Pavel; Bernur Acikgoz (IKCU - Izmir Katip Celebi University); Jean‐christophe Poudou (MRE - Montpellier Recherche en Economie - UM - Université de Montpellier); Marc Willinger (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier) |
| Abstract: | We investigate the effects of retroactive audits and varying statutes of limitations on tax compliance through a laboratory experiment. First, we solve a dynamic model using Bellman's solution to show that longer limitation periods promote compliance by raising expected penalties, as each past period carries a higher probability of inspection. Second, in our experiment, we manipulate the statute of limitations (0, 1, 3, and 6 periods), providing data that support the model's predictions. Our data also suggest that a 3-year statute of limitation optimally balances compliance benefits with administrative efficiency.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. |
| Keywords: | laboratory experiment, retroactive audits, statute of limitations |
| Date: | 2025–02–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04937321 |
| By: | Bedoya Arguelles, Guadalupe; Das, Jishnu; Dolinger, Amy |
| Abstract: | This paper presents results from the first randomization of a regulatory reform in the health sector. The reform established minimum quality standards for patient safety, an issue that has become increasingly salient following the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics. In the experiment, all 1, 348 health facilities in three Kenyan counties were classified into 273 markets, and the markets were then randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. Government inspectors visited health facilities and, depending on the results of their inspection, recommended closure or a timeline for improvements. The intervention increased compliance with patient safety measures in both public and private facilities (more so in the latter) and reallocated patients from private to public facilities without increasing out-of-pocket payments or decreasing facility use. In treated markets, improvements were equally marked throughout the quality distribution, consistent with a simple model of vertical differentiation in oligopolies. This paper thus establishes the use of experimental techniques to study regulatory reforms and, in doing so, shows that minimum standards can improve quality across the board without adversely affecting utilization. |
| Date: | 2023–03–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10386 |
| By: | Bagga, Aanchal; Holmlund, Marcus Erik; Khan, Nausheen; Subha, Mani; Mvukiyehe, Eric; Premand, Patrick |
| Abstract: | Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have introduced public works programs that offer temporary cash-for-work opportunities to poor individuals. This paper reviews experimental evidence on the impacts of public works programs on participants over the short and medium run, providing new insights on whether they have sustained impacts. The findings show that public works mainly increase employment and earnings during the program. Short-term positive effects tend to fade in the medium run, except in a few cases in which large impacts on savings or investments in self-employment activities are also observed. Importantly, the estimated impacts on earnings are much lower than planned transfer amounts due to forgone earnings, raising questions about cost-effectiveness. There is also little evidence of public works programs improving food consumption expenditure. The review finds evidence of improvements in psychological well-being and women’s empowerment in some cases, but not systematically, and with limitations in measurement. The paper concludes by outlining directions for future research. |
| Date: | 2023–06–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10471 |
| By: | Querejeta Rabosto, Martina; Olivieri, Cecilia; Tomio, Andrea Ailin; Castaneda Nunez, Jorge Luis; Munoz Boudet, Ana Maria |
| Abstract: | Parental leave has been increasingly used as a family policy to facilitate balancing care and work responsibilities and promoting gender equality. However, fathers' parental leave participation is still low, even when it offers both job and wage protection. This paper examines the effects of an information and awareness-raising intervention, delivered via email and text messages on men’s and women’s awareness and intentions of shared take-up of a parental leave program. The experiment provided recent and prospective parents meeting the social security requirements to benefit from parental leave with information about the program. Additionally, a subset of recent parents received messages that told them about (i) the benefits of fathers’ involvement in childcare, or (ii) the importance of planning parental childcare. The intervention was successful in increasing knowledge about the parental leave program and shifting traditional gender norm views among women, regarding father’s involvement and care planning. For men, knowledge about the program increased. However, the strong association between parental leave and breastfeeding led to fathers privileging mothers’ use of the leave benefit. The findings show limited impact on actual leave taking, with the message about couples’ leave planning increasing the effective use of parental leave among fathers compared to the information message. The results show that low-cost, targeted information interventions can have substantial effects on program knowledge among potential future beneficiaries. Although these interventions can support more equal gender roles and change gendered attitudes toward care responsibilities, they are not sufficient to shift behaviors. |
| Date: | 2023–03–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10340 |
| By: | Brar, Rajdev Kaur; Buehren, Niklas; Papineni, Sreelakshmi; Sulaiman, Munshi |
| Abstract: | Gender inequality and restrictive norms are often reinforced and internalized during adolescence, influencing pivotal life choices. This paper presents results from a randomly-assigned gender norms intervention for young adolescents in Somalia that led to greater support for gender equality in reported attitudes among both girls and boys. In a novel lab-in-the-field experiment designed to observe social group dynamics, treated adolescents were also found to be less likely to succumb to peer pressure to conform when stating their gender attitudes in public. Perceptions of gender norms appears to shift for boys, leading to a greater public expression of gender egalitarian ideals. Furthermore, the findings show improved adolescent mental health, increased caring behavior towards siblings of the opposite sex, and a higher likelihood of involvement in household chores by boys. A complementary gender norms intervention for parents had limited marginal impact on the attitudes and behaviors of adolescents. The results suggest that gender norms interventions can be effective in influencing the attitudes and public discourse around gender equality, even in early adolescence. |
| Date: | 2023–09–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10567 |
| By: | Rasch, Alexander (Chalmers University of Technology); Morando, Alberto; Thalya, Prateek |
| Abstract: | Electric scooters (e-scooters) are a relatively new and popular means of personal transportation in many cities. Unfortunately, they have been involved in crashes with other road users with whom they share the infrastructure. Crashes with motorized vehicles are particularly critical since they result in more severe injuries or even fatalities. While previous work has highlighted the consequences of failed interactions, we know little about how drivers interact with e-scooters and how to improve such interactions. In this paper, we conducted a test-track experiment to study how drivers negotiate a right turn at an intersection with an e-scooter. Using Bayesian regression, we modeled whether drivers yield to the e-scooter according to the projected post-encroachment time and approaching speed, and we were able to predict drivers’ intentions with an AUC of 0.94 and an accuracy of 0.82 in cross-validation. The model coefficients indicate that drivers yield less often when approaching the intersection at a higher speed or larger projected gap. We further modeled drivers’ braking timing (time-to-arrival) and strength (mean deceleration), yielding an RMSE of 1.42 s and 0.33 m/s^2^, respectively. Being a reference for driver behavior when interacting with an e-scooter rider, the model can be integrated into simulations and inform the development driver support system to warn drivers more effectively. |
| Date: | 2025–02–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:vbrm5_v2 |
| By: | Rasch, Alexander (Chalmers University of Technology); Morando, Alberto; Thalya, Prateek |
| Abstract: | Electric scooters (e-scooters) are a relatively new and popular means of personal transportation in many cities. Unfortunately, they have been involved in crashes with other road users with whom they share the infrastructure. Crashes with motorized vehicles are particularly critical since they result in more severe injuries or even fatalities. While previous work has highlighted the consequences of failed interactions, we know little about how drivers interact with e-scooters and how to improve such interactions. In this paper, we conducted a test-track experiment to study how drivers negotiate a right turn at an intersection with an e-scooter. Using Bayesian regression, we modeled whether drivers yield to the e-scooter according to the projected post-encroachment time and approaching speed, and we were able to predict drivers’ intentions with an AUC of 0.94 and an accuracy of 0.82 in cross-validation. The model coefficients indicate that drivers yield less often when approaching the intersection at a higher speed or larger projected gap. We further modeled drivers’ braking timing (time-to-arrival) and strength (mean deceleration), yielding an RMSE of 1.42 s and 0.33 m/s^2, respectively. Being a reference for driver behavior when interacting with an e-scooter rider, the model can be integrated into simulations and inform the development driver support system to warn drivers more effectively. |
| Date: | 2025–02–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:vbrm5_v1 |
| By: | Marie-Pascale Grimon; Christopher Mills |
| Abstract: | Algorithm tools have the potential to improve public service efficiency, but our understanding of how experts use algorithms is limited, and concerns about resulting bias are widespread. We randomize access to algorithm support for workers allocating Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations. Access to the algorithm reduced maltreatment-related hospitalizations, especially for disadvantaged groups, while reducing CPS surveillance of Black children. Child injuries fell by 29 percent. Workers improved their scrutiny of complementary information emphasized by the algorithm, and targeted investigations to children at greater risk of harm irrespective of algorithm-predicted risk. Algorithm-only counterfactuals confirm human-algorithm complementarity for both efficiency and equity. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.08501 |
| By: | Lerva, Benedetta |
| Abstract: | Understanding the value of the externalities associated with a technology is crucial to correctly estimate the welfare benefits of public policies and investments. Suboptimal adoption rates of agricultural technologies in low-income countries partly result from farmers not fully internalizing the positive externalities of adoption. This paper designs an experiment to measure the monetary value of the externalities of an agricultural pest-control technology; it elicits a farmer’s willingness-to-pay for another farmer to adopt the technology, as a measure of the externalities generated by the other farmer. The findings show that externalities are large, as mean willingness-to-pay for others is equal to two days’ wage, or half the willingness-to-pay for themselves. Willingness-to-pay for another farmer depends on social proximity (as it is easier to learn about the technology from closer connections), and the distance between their two plots (as pest-control is more beneficial for plot neighbors). Targeting the technology to farmers with geographically central plots and more socially connected farmers generates greater positive externalities and more social value than targeting farmers with the highest willingness-to-pay for themselves. |
| Date: | 2023–07–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10521 |
| By: | Kailin Chen |
| Abstract: | This paper proposes two rankings of statistical experiments using the linear convex order. These rankings hold in a broader set of scenarios where intuition suggests that one experiment is more informative than another, and provide more tractable characterizations than Blackwell order, which relies on the convex order. We apply these rankings to compare statistical experiments in binary-action decision problems and in decision problems that aggregate payoffs over a collection of binary-action decision problems. Furthermore, these rankings enable comparisons of statistical experiments in moral hazard problems without requiring the validity of the first-order approach, thereby complementing the results in Holmstr\"om (1979) and Kim (1995). |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.06530 |
| By: | Marguerie, Alicia Charlene; Premand, Patrick |
| Abstract: | Policy makers grapple with the optimal design of multidimensional strategies to improve poor households’ livelihoods. To address financial constraints, are capital injections needed, or is savings mobilization sufficient This paper tests the direct effects and local spillovers of three instruments to relax financial constraints, each combined with micro-entrepreneurship training. “Cash grants” and “cash grants with repayment” directly inject capital, while “village savings and loan associations” (VSLAs) promote more efficient group saving. The randomized controlled trial took place in western regions of Côte d’Ivoire that were affected by a post-electoral crisis in 2011 and an earlier conflict. The interventions had differential effects on the dynamics of savings and productive asset accumulation. The cash grant modalities generated investments in startup capital, although nearly 30 percent of the grant was saved. In contrast, village savings and loan associations did not increase total savings but gradually induced investments, so that productive assets caught up with cash grant recipients after 15 months. Positive local spillovers on savings and independent activities were also observed. Yet, investments in independent activities were not sufficient to increase profits, possibly because they were limited due to high precautionary saving motives in the post-conflict study setting. |
| Date: | 2023–09–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10563 |
| By: | Lee, Kuo Chuen; Li, Yang; Xu, Weibiao; Zhao, Willy |
| Abstract: | Proponents of blockchains believe that this technology will revolutionize e-commerce. To evaluate this belief, we invite several groups of students to transact on a decentralized peer-to-peer marketplace built on the platform provided by Origin Protocol Inc., and then we conduct a survey about their experience of usage. Based on our survey results, we find that 33% of respondents play tricks on others, which implies that this undesirable result may hinder the widespread adoption of blockchain technologies. We also attempt to propose a conceptual mechanism to mitigate fraudulent behaviors. In the event of disputation, a trusted authority is entitled to the right to downgrade the fraudulent side’s credit record, which is stored by a permissioned blockchain accessed only by the authority. Such a punishment can effectively decrease agents' incentives to sell counterfeits and leave fake ratings. In sum, we must distinguish what we proposed blockchains will do and what blockchains can do before enabling this technology in e-commerce. |
| Keywords: | Arbitration, Blockchains, E-commerce, Fraud, Privacy, Trust |
| JEL: | C7 C9 G02 L1 L4 O33 |
| Date: | 2025–01–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123654 |
| By: | Frondel, Manuel; Niehues, Delia; Peetz, Valerie; Sommer, Stephan; Tomberg, Lukas |
| Abstract: | Based on randomized information treatments that were embedded in a large online survey among more than 6, 000 single-home owners from Germany, we investigate the malleability of attitudes towards water conservation and a variety of conservation policies. While the empirical results indicate that, generally, respondents have a positive attitude towards water conservation, this positive attitude is merely slightly lowered by information treatments that included either nuanced or negatively biased information about the necessity of water conservation. In addition, we find that respondents attribute a higher level of concern for water conservation to themselves than to both people in their personal environment and the population in general. Conservation policies, such as education campaigns, price increases for heavy consumers and comparison reports on water consumption are accepted by the majority of respondents and perceived as fair, whereas smart water tariffs and frequent price increases are largely rejected. |
| Abstract: | Auf der Grundlage von randomisierten Informationsbehandlungen, die in eine große Online-Umfrage unter mehr als 6.000 Einfamilienhausbesitzern in Deutschland eingebettet waren, untersuchen wir die Formbarkeit von Einstellungen zum Wassersparen und zu einer Reihe von Einsparungsmaßnahmen. Während die empirischen Ergebnisse darauf hindeuten, dass die Befragten im Allgemeinen eine positive Einstellung zum Wassersparen haben, wird diese positive Einstellung durch Informationsbehandlungen, die entweder nuancierte oder negativ verzerrte Informationen über die Notwendigkeit des Wassersparens enthielten, nur geringfügig gesenkt. Darüber hinaus stellen wir fest, dass die Befragten sich selbst ein höheres Maß an Sorge um die Wassererhaltung zuschreiben als den Menschen in ihrem persönlichen Umfeld und der Bevölkerung im Allgemeinen. Sparmaßnahmen wie Aufklärungskampagnen, Preiserhöhungen für Großverbraucher und Vergleichsberichte über den Wasserverbrauch werden von der Mehrheit der Befragten akzeptiert und als gerecht empfunden, während intelligente Wassertarife und häufige Preiserhöhungen weitgehend abgelehnt werden. |
| Keywords: | Information experiment, policy approval, water conservation policy |
| JEL: | D12 Q25 Q58 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:311191 |
| By: | Francesco Agostinelli; Ciro Avitabile; Matteo Bobba (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | This paper provides novel insights into the science of scaling by examining an educa-tional mentoring program in Mexico. The empirical analysis encompasses two independent field experiments, and seizes a unique opportunity to learn from the government's implementation of the same intervention. While the program originally implemented at scale demonstrates limited effectiveness, the introduction of a new modality with enhanced mentor training significantly improves children's outcomes. Mentor-parent interactions are found to stimulate parental engagement at the community-school level. Our findings support the hypothesis that parents can play an important role in facili-tating the scalability of educational programs. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04960480 |
| By: | Eric Hitz; Mingmin Feng; Radu Tanase; Ren\'e Algesheimer; Manuel S. Mariani |
| Abstract: | Recent advances in artificial intelligence have led to the proliferation of artificial agents in social contexts, ranging from education to online social media and financial markets, among many others. The increasing rate at which artificial and human agents interact makes it urgent to understand the consequences of human-machine interactions for the propagation of new ideas, products, and behaviors in society. Across two distinct empirical contexts, we find here that artificial agents lead to significantly faster and wider social contagion. To this end, we replicate a choice experiment previously conducted with human subjects by using artificial agents powered by large language models (LLMs). We use the experiment's results to measure the adoption thresholds of artificial agents and their impact on the spread of social contagion. We find that artificial agents tend to exhibit lower adoption thresholds than humans, which leads to wider network-based social contagions. Our findings suggest that the increased presence of artificial agents in real-world networks may accelerate behavioral shifts, potentially in unforeseen ways. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.21037 |
| By: | Hémono, Rebecca; Balampama, Marianna; De Walque, Damien B. C. M.; Mccoy, Sandra Irene; Dow, William H. |
| Abstract: | Financial incentives are a promising approach for HIV prevention. Some studies have shown that financial incentive interventions aimed to promote positive health and social behaviors have mixed or harmful effects on gender-based violence, and little is known about their effects among higher risk groups such as female sex workers. To address this gap, this study investigated the relationship between a lottery-based incentive and gender-based violence among female sex workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data were analyzed from the RESPECT II trial, which enrolled 2, 206 female sex workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to evaluate the effect of a lottery-based incentive on HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Participants were randomized in a one-to-one ratio to: (1) the basic test group (control), which provided baseline testing and counseling for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and bi-weekly text messages on safe sex practices; or (2) the lottery group, which included the basic test group intervention plus entry into a weekly random lottery for an award of 100, 000 Tanzanian shillings conditional on negative tests for sexually transmitted infections (syphilis and trichomonas vaginalis). An intent-to-treat analysis was conducted to estimate differences in physical and sexual gender-based violence (overall), and intimate partner violence and non-partner violence between treatment arms at endline, with estimates expressed as unadjusted prevalence differences with 95 percent confidence intervals. Adjusted estimates controlled for baseline reports of violence. Multiple imputation and inverse-probability of treatment weighting were used to account for missing data. Causal, population-level impacts were estimated using g-computation. Gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, and non-partner violence declined in both treatment arms over the study period among the sample of 1, 117 female sex workers retained at endline. The lottery group had a lower prevalence of gender-based violence overall, intimate partner violence, and non-partner violence compared to control at endline; however, the differences were not statistically significant. The results indicate that the lottery intervention had no effect on violence outcomes among endline participants in the RESPECT II trial. These results suggest that this economic approach does not pose additional risks of violence in the context of sex work; however, they must be interpreted with caution due to high attrition in the study sample. Additional research is warranted to examine how this incentive mechanism impacts violence for female sex workers. |
| Date: | 2023–09–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10573 |
| By: | Brudevold-Newman, Andrew Peter; Ubfal, Diego Javier |
| Abstract: | Young adults seeking to enter the labor market often confront a skills mismatch with firms reporting difficulty finding new entrants with appropriate levels of soft skills. This paper repor ts findings from a randomized controlled trial in Rwanda in which recent graduates from tertiary education were randomly assigned to a two-week intensive soft skills training program developed and delivered by staff of the University of Rwanda. Results indicate that the program facilitated accelerated entry into the labor market in a period characterized by COVID-19-related disruptions. These effects dissipated over the following year as more jobs became available in the economy and the control group's employment caught up with that of the treatment group. The paper finds evidence of significant job network expansion for participants of the training, which could have led to faster labor market entry for the treated youth. |
| Date: | 2023–06–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10489 |
| By: | Claire Boutoleau-Bretonnière (CHU Nantes - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes = Nantes University Hospital); Dimitrios Kapogiannis (NIH - National Institutes of Health [Bethesda, MD, USA]); Mohamad El Haj (LPPL - Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire - UA - Université d'Angers - Nantes Univ - UFR LL - Nantes Université - UFR Lettres et Langages - Nantes Université - pôle Humanités - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université) |
| Abstract: | Financial decision making requires trading off between guaranteed and probabilistic outcomes and between immediate and delayed ones. While research has demonstrating that patients with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) prefer immediate rewards at the expense of future ones (i.e., temporal discounting), little is known about how patients choose between smaller, guaranteed, and larger, but probabilistic, outcomes (i.e., probabilistic discounting). We thus investigated probabilistic discounting by invited 18 patients with bvFTD and 20 control participants to choose between fixed smaller monetary amounts and a fixed larger monetary amount with a variated probability of occurrence (e.g., "Would you rather have 40€ for sure or a 20% chance of winning 100€?"). Results demonstrated lower scores, indicating higher risk tolerance, on the probabilistic discounting task in patients with bvFTD (while impulsively choosing more immediate rewards on the temporal discounting task) compared to control participants. Probabilistic discounting was significantly correlated with a decline in general cognitive performance in patients with bvFTD. When dealing between smaller, guaranteed, and larger, but probabilistic, rewards, patients with bvFTD tend to prefer guaranteed rewards and discount the uncertain ones. |
| Keywords: | Behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, Decision making, Probabilistic discounting, Temporal discounting |
| Date: | 2023–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04914242 |
| By: | Banuri, Sheheryar; Murgia, Lucia Milena; Ul Haq, Imtiaz |
| Abstract: | Faith-based mutual funds have recently become a growing corner of the mutual fund industry. Morality and ethics are thought to exert an influence on investors’ decisions in this segment, although their role in driving such investments is not clear as these funds are also attractive due to their distinct risk-return profile. If nonpecuniary motives are predominant, investors in such funds may be less sensitive to financial performance, resulting in different patterns of fund flows relative to conventional funds. This paper fills the gap in the literature, by providing an express linkage between religious preferences and investment in an Islamic fund. Using an incentivized lab experiment, the analysis compares the extent to which investors with religious preferences are likely to accept inferior financial performance to pursue investments aligned with their religious preferences. The findings show that investment in an Islamic fund is driven by religious preferences and religiosity is strongly tied to investor loyalty in the Islamic fund, with investors more willing to accept reductions in returns and increases in risk. The analysis fails to find that social preferences play a similar role in socially responsible funds. When pitted directly against each other, investors prefer religious investments over socially responsible investments, suggesting that they do not view the two as substitutes. |
| Date: | 2023–05–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10459 |
| By: | Kondylis, Florence; Loeser, John Ashton; Mobarak, Mushfiq; Jones, Maria Ruth; Stein, Daniel Kevin |
| Abstract: | Can decentralizing demonstration accelerate learning about new technologies This paper randomizes access to a fixed demonstration kit for new flood-saline-resilient seeds across villages in Bangladesh, with demonstration either by a single farmer or spread across many farmers. In the short run, higher learning from self and others under decentralization increases technology adoption. In the long run, the impacts of any demonstration persist, but the additional impacts of decentralization vanish. A Bayesian model of learning the returns to a new technology suggests belief dispersion caused noisy adoption along the learning path, and farmers’ expected gains from demonstration are four times higher under decentralization. |
| Date: | 2023–08–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10545 |
| By: | Markhof, Yannick Valentin; Wollburg, Philip Randolph; Zezza, Alberto |
| Abstract: | Routine immunization coverage estimated in surveys often substantially differs from figures reported in administrative records, presenting a dilemma for researchers and policy makers. Using high-frequency phone surveys and administrative records from government sources in 36 low- and middle-income countries, this paper shows that such misalignment has also been common in the case of COVID-19. Across the sample, survey estimates exceed administrative figures by 47 percent on average, at times suggesting markedly different policy conclusions depending on the data source consulted. This pattern is particularly stark and consistent in Sub-Saharan Africa. To investigate the sources of this discrepancy, the paper presents results from six methodological experiments that vary survey design choices and documents their effect on estimated COVID-19 vaccine coverage. The results show that design choices matter, in particular the selection of respondents to be interviewed. However, phone survey estimates prove remarkably robust to several commonly claimed biases. After accounting for observed errors of representation and measurement in the survey data, there remains a nonnegligible, unexplained residual gap with administrative records. The paper provides indicative evidence of flaws and weaknesses in administrative data recording and reporting that affect reported vaccination rates and could contribute to this gap. The findings matter for past research on COVID-19 vaccination, future immunization efforts, and the design of robust data production systems on health topics. |
| Date: | 2023–05–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10443 |
| By: | Naufal, George S (Texas A&M University); Patterson, Bethany (Texas A&M University); Danser, Renee (Harvard Law School); Greiner, D. James (Harvard Law School) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of defense counsel at first appearance (CAFA) on criminal justice outcomes using randomized control trials in two Texas counties. The study evaluates the influence of CAFA on bond amounts, pretrial release, conditions, and post-magistration outcomes such as recidivism and failure to appear. Results show that while CAFA reduces bond amounts and influences bond types in one jurisdiction, its effects on pretrial release and recidivism are limited. These findings highlight jurisdictional differences and suggest that CAFA's impact may be more modest than previous studies indicate, underscoring the need for further research in this area. |
| Keywords: | first appearance, RCT, bail, pretrial release |
| JEL: | C93 J08 K4 K14 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17712 |
| By: | Crawford, Michael F.; Rutkowski, David Joseph; Rutkowski, Leslie Ann |
| Abstract: | This paper provides results from the randomized control trial project, Promoting Development and Home Reading of Supplementary Texts for Young Readers in Cambodia. One control and three treatment groups were assessed on how literacy and reading habits changed when households were provided a variety of high-quality and low-cost early reading materials along with varying degrees of encouragement toward building better reading habits. The findings show that providing books in isolation was not enough. Rather, books in conjunction with a network of reading supports was found to be an effective means to boost reading outcomes, including reading proficiency measures, frequency of reading, and attitudes toward reading. The results highlight the need for at-home reading materials in poor households as an integral step to improve early reading. |
| Date: | 2023–04–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10416 |
| By: | Kosuke Imai; Michael Lingzhi Li |
| Abstract: | We analyze the split-sample robust inference (SSRI) methodology proposed by Chernozhukov, Demirer, Duflo, and Fernandez-Val (CDDF) for quantifying uncertainty in heterogeneous treatment effect estimation. While SSRI effectively accounts for randomness in data splitting, its computational cost can be prohibitive when combined with complex machine learning (ML) models. We present an alternative randomization inference (RI) approach that maintains SSRI's generality without requiring repeated data splitting. By leveraging cross-fitting and design-based inference, RI achieves valid confidence intervals while significantly reducing computational burden. We compare the two methods through simulation, demonstrating that RI retains statistical efficiency while being more practical for large-scale applications. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.06758 |