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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Bortolotti, Stefania (University of Bologna); Kölle, Felix (University of Cologne); Soraperra, Ivan (University of Amsterdam); Sutter, Matthias (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods) |
| Abstract: | Inequality often arises from strategic interactions among individuals. This is so because risky investments can not only be resolved by chance (natural risk), but also by others’ actions (social risk). We study how these different sources of inequality shape fairness judgments and the level of redistribution in a controlled experiment with a total of 2, 152 participants. We find significantly less inequality acceptance, and thus much more redistribution, under social risk. In addition to the well-known types of Libertarians, Egalitarians and Choice Egalitarians, we identify a novel, hitherto unnoticed, fairness type — Insurers — who always compensate unlucky risk-takers and are especially prevalent when one is let down by others rather than simply unlucky by chance. This suggests that impartial spectators view betrayal as more deserving of support than bad luck. Our findings show that fairness ideals depend jointly on risk-taking and the way in which risk is resolved, either by nature or another human actor, thus highlighting the important role of strategic interaction for fairness types and redistribution. |
| Keywords: | experiment, redistribution, social risk, fairness views, inequality |
| JEL: | C91 D63 D90 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18122 |
| By: | Francesca Barigozzi; Natalia Montinari; Elisa Orlandi |
| Abstract: | Many real-world scenarios involve explore-exploit decisions, balancing the pursuit of better opportunities with securing a certain but potentially suboptimal outcome. Do gendered approaches to these decisions exist? This study investigates gender differences in exploration and competition behaviour through a pre-registered lab experiment with 432 participants (50% female). Specifically, we examine behaviour in the context of the explore-exploit dilemma, both under a piece rate payment scheme and in a competitive tournament setting. Participants completed three computerized tasks: the grain game featuring the explore-exploit dilemma, which included two treatments, one allowing only gains and another incorporating both gains and losses, a risk elicitation task (BRET), and a loss aversion task. These tasks were followed by a questionnaire designed to assess various individual characteristics The results show that, contrary to the initial pre-registered hypotheses, women do not explore less than men; in fact, they explore more in environments where only gains are possible. However, no gender differences emerge in exploration when the environment entails the possibility of losses. Regarding competition, women are less likely to choose competitive settings than men in gain-only environments, but this difference disappears once individual characteristics, such as risk and loss aversion, are taken into account. These findings contribute to understanding gendered tendencies in risk-taking, exploration, and competition. |
| JEL: | C91 D81 D03 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bol:bodewp:wp1211 |
| By: | Contreras, Valentina (London School of Economics); Orsini, Chiara (University of Sheffield); Özcan, Berkay (London School of Economics); Koehler, Johann (London School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | We present results from a field experiment that tests the effects of varying gender and linguistic group composition on performance and on group-members’ perception that their voice is heard when completing complex collaborative work within a low scrutiny environment. We randomize individuals enrolled in a postgraduate course populated by mostly women and non-native English speakers into small teams within larger, exogenously assigned seminar groups. Groups are tasked with complex and deliberative research assignments over three months. Using administrative and survey data, we find that a higher share of women in seminar groups significantly benefits the academic performance of group members—an effect driven by a positive effect on female native English speakers — while a greater proportion of women in small teams improves non-native language speakers’ perception of being heard. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, linguistic diversity, gender, team dynamics, higher education, field experiment |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18145 |
| By: | Stefania Bortolotti (University of Bologna & IZA); Felix Kölle (University of Cologne); Ivan Soraperra (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Center for Human and Machine, Berlin); Matthias Sutter (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn & University of Cologne & University of Innsbruck) |
| Abstract: | Inequality often arises from strategic interactions among individuals. This is so because risky investments can not only be resolved by chance (natural risk), but also by others’ actions (social risk). We study how these different sources of inequality shape fairness judgments and the level of redistribution in a controlled experiment with a total of 2, 152 participants. We find significantly less inequality acceptance, and thus much more redistribution, under social risk. In addition to the well-known types of Libertarians, Egalitarians and Choice Egalitarians, we identify a novel, hitherto unnoticed, fairness type — Insurers — who always compensate unlucky risk-takers and are especially prevalent when one is let down by others rather than simply unlucky by chance. This suggests that impartial spectators view betrayal as more deserving of support than bad luck. Our findings show that fairness ideals depend jointly on risk-taking and the way in which risk is resolved, either by nature or another human actor, thus highlighting the important role of strategic interaction for fairness types and redistribution. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, fairness views, social risk, redistribution, experiment |
| JEL: | C91 D63 D90 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:370 |
| By: | Thomas Graeber (University of Zurich); Shakked Noy (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Christopher Roth (University of Cologne, CEPR, NHH, and MPI for Research on Collective Goods Bonn) |
| Abstract: | Information often shapes behavior regardless of its quality: unreliable claims wield influence, while reliable ones are neglected. We propose that this occurs in part because word-of-mouth transmission tends to preserve claims while dropping information about their reliability. We conduct controlled online experiments where participants listen to economic forecasts and pass them on through voice messages. Other participants listen either to original or transmitted audio recordings and report incentivized beliefs. Across various transmitter incentive schemes, a claim’s reliability is lost in transmission much more than the claim itself. Reliable and unreliable information, once filtered through transmission, impact listener beliefs similarly. Mechanism experiments show that reliability is lost not because it is perceived as less relevant or harder to transmit, but because it is less likely to come to mind during transmission. A simple associative-memory framework suggests that reliability information may be less likely to come to mind either because it is less likely to be cued by transmission requests or because attempts to retrieve it face greater interference. Evidence from our experiments, a large corpus of everyday conversations, and economic TV news supports both of these mechanisms. |
| Keywords: | Information Transmission, Word-of-mouth, Reliability, Memory, TV news |
| JEL: | D83 D87 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:371 |
| By: | Gazze, Ludovica (University of Warwick and CAGE); Gupta, Tanu (University of Southampton Delhi); Huang, Allen (Weiyi) (St Hilda's College, University of Oxford); Londoño, Valentina (Universidad del Rosario); Saavedra, Santiago (Universidad del Rosario); Toma, Mattie (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | There is limited evidence on the non-health impacts of air pollution, including productivity in the workplace and behavior. We examine the effect of air pollution on participation, collaboration, and feedback provision in a workplace setting. Our experiment randomly assigns air purifiers to rooms at three large academic conferences to investigate the causal impact of air pollution on participants’ engagement behavior. We construct a participant engagement index based on 12 presentation-level behavioral outcomes directly measured by conference observers through an online form and weigh each behavioral outcome using weights elicited from an expert survey. Conference rooms treated with air purifiers exhibit 48% less PM2.5 concentration compared to control rooms. However, we do not find a statistically significant change in engagement. Communication in the workplace might not be a large driver of the empirical relationship between air quality and productivity, albeit more research is needed across workplaces and measures of communication. |
| Keywords: | Indoor air quality; Engagement; Workplace; Field Experiment JEL Classification: Q53, J24 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:773 |
| By: | Roland Bénabou; Luca Henkel |
| Abstract: | We review the economic literature on self-image, which conceptualizes identity as a set of beliefs about one’s core traits, values, goals, and social ties. Self-image concerns lead individuals to process information and make choices in non-standard ways that help affirm and protect certain valued identities. We first present the main cognitive mechanisms involved within a simple unifying framework. We then survey the extensive laboratory, online, and field experimental literature on the nature and behavioral implications of self-image concerns. We discuss in particular how they give rise to information and decision avoidance, motivated memory and beliefs, excuse-driven behavior, preferences for truth-telling, hypothetical bias, moral cleansing and moral licensing, collective identities, political preferences, and other forms of self-signaling or self-deception. We subsequently discuss common empirical strategies used to identify self-image concerns, as well as the threats to their validity and how to alleviate them. We conclude by outlining open questions and directions for future research on the belief-based approach to identity. |
| Keywords: | self-image, identity, motivated beliefs, belief-based utility, behavioral economics, experimental economics |
| JEL: | D01 D91 C90 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12147 |
| By: | Dinarte Diaz, Lelys (World Bank); Gresham, James (World Bank); Lemos, Renata (World Bank); Patrinos, Harry Anthony (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville); Rodriguez-Ramirez, Rony (Harvard University) |
| Abstract: | This paper provides insights into human capital investments during wartime by presenting evidence from 3 experiments of an online tutoring program for Ukrainian students amid Russia’s invasion. Conducted between 2023 and 2024, the experiments reached 10, 000 students across Ukraine. The program offered 3 hours per week of small-group tutoring in math and Ukrainian language over 6 weeks, and used academic and psychosocial tools to address student challenges at different intensities of disruption. Results show that the program led to substantial improvements in learning—0.49 standard deviations in math and 0.40 standard deviations in Ukrainian language—and consistent reductions in stress—0.12 standard deviations. High take-up and engagement rates were observed, and 4 mechanisms were identified as drivers of impact: structured peer interactions, improved attitudes toward learning, enhanced socio-emotional skills, and increased student investments. A complementary experiment using information nudges highlights challenges in promoting parental investments in a conflict setting. The program was cost-effective, with benefit-to-cost ratios ranging from 31-56, and scalable given its reliance on existing infrastructure and capacity. |
| Keywords: | student achievement, tutoring, wartime, Ukraine, mental health |
| JEL: | I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18117 |
| By: | Yuta Ota (Keio University, Department of Economics); Takahiro Hoshino (Keio University, Department of Economics); Taisuke Otsu (London School of Economics, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | In the evaluation of social programs, it is often difficult to conduct randomized controlled experiments due to non-compliance; therefore the local average treatment effect (LATE) is commonly applied. However, LATE identifies the average treatment effect only for a subpopulation known as compliers and requires the monotonicity assumption. Given these limitations of LATE, this paper proposes a study design and strategy to non-parametrically identify the causal effects for larger populations (such as ATT and ATE) and to remove the monotonicity assumption in the cases of non-compliance. Our strategy utilizes two types of auxiliary observations, one is an outcome before assignment and the other is a treatment before assignment. These observations do not require specially designed experiments, and are likely to be observed in baseline surveys of the standard experiment or panel data. We present the results for the random assignment and those of multiply robust representations in the case where the random assignment is violated. We then present details of the GMM estimation and testing methods which utilize overidentified restrictions. The proposed methodology is illustrated by empirical examples which revisit influential studies by Thornton (2008), Gerber et al. (2009), and Beam (2016), as well as the data set from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment and that from an experimental data on marketing in a private sector. |
| Keywords: | study design, auxiliary variable, non-parametric identification, non-compliance, local average treatment effect |
| JEL: | C14 C31 |
| Date: | 2025–09–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:keo:dpaper:2025-021 |
| By: | Subhasish Dugar (Department of Economics, University of Utah); Kenju Kamei (Faculty of Economics, Keio University) |
| Abstract: | Performance pay raises productivity but can also trigger costly peer dynamics, which can influence workers’ preferences over pay schemes. We test whether sabotage risk drives compensation choices using a field experiment with Indian vegetable packers. Workers first perform under exogenously assigned tournaments that differ only in pay inequality but are equivalent in total payout, then choose between them, enabling endogenous sorting. Under impartial expert evaluation, workers select steeper tournaments, indicating no aversion to inequality or competition. Under peer evaluation, sabotage escalates sharply with pay dispersion, prompting workers to preemptively prefer more equitable schemes. Our study expands the literature on labor market sorting by identifying sabotage risk as a fundamental driver of sorting and shows how destructive peer dynamics can rationalize compressed wage structures in practice. |
| Keywords: | Field experiment, Pay equity, Tournament, Sabotage, Sorting. |
| JEL: | C93 J31 M52 D81 |
| Date: | 2025–09–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:keo:dpaper:dp2025-020 |
| By: | Herrera-Almanza, Catalina (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); McCarthy, Aine Seitz |
| Abstract: | In sub-Saharan Africa, the gap in fertility preferences between men and women may influence household fertility outcomes as men usually desire more children and have more intra-household bargaining power. We estimate the effect of an informational family planning program that randomizes the inclusion of husbands on fertility preferences (desired additional children) in rural Tanzania. Surprisingly, husbands who participated in joint family planning consultations increased their desired fertility, and their wives responded by also increasing their desired number of additional children, converging to his larger preferences. In contrast, women in private family planning consultations (without their husbands) reduced their fertility desires, while their husbands' preferences remained unchanged. We provide evidence that the increase in women's fertility preferences as a result of the joint consultations is related to polygamy. Women in polygamous marriages increase their demand for children substantially, likely as a strategic response to hearing their husbands' stated preferences during the joint consultations. |
| Keywords: | randomized experiment, fertility, intrahousehold bargaining, fertility preferences |
| JEL: | D13 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18115 |
| By: | Anwesha Banerjee; Andrea Erhart; Claire Rimbaud |
| Abstract: | This study examines the pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors of individuals across different age groups. We compare young adults with older adults in an online experiment with German participants. We use an incentivized task - the Work for Environment Protection task (WEPT) - to measure environmental behavior. We find that compared to younger adults, older adults are more concerned and less skeptical about climate change. Older adults also exhibit significantly more pro-environmental behavior, reflected in higher participation in tasks associated with donations to an environmental organization. These results highlight the need to develop strategies to improve support for environmental policies specifically targeted to different age groups. |
| Keywords: | environmental behavior, environmental attitude, climate change, knowledge, age |
| JEL: | Q50 C91 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:inn:wpaper:2025-05 |
| By: | Marie-Estelle Binet (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes, AMURE - Aménagement des Usages des Ressources et des Espaces marins et littoraux - Centre de droit et d'économie de la mer - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - IFREMER - Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer - UBO - Université de Brest - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Maria Garcia-Valiñas (Universidad de Oviedo = University of Oviedo); Sara Suarez-Fernandez (Universidad de Oviedo = University of Oviedo) |
| Abstract: | Nudging has emerged as an alternative policy for managing water demand in the residential sector. Indeed, numerous field studies have been recently published to assess the impact of nudges on water consumption. In parallel, a substantial body of literature has developed in the field of behavioral economics, including laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of nudge-type or boost treatments on individual behavior. However, the corresponding results are frequently overlooked in field studies. In this context, focusing on the residential water sector, the aim of this survey paper are, first, to review field experiments and address key issues in behavioral economics; and second, to present results obtained from laboratory experiments that could enhance nudging policies. We conclude by discussing additional unexplored areas and their policy implications. |
| Keywords: | Experimental economics, Water sustainable management, Nudging |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-04567861 |
| By: | Noemí Navarro (CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UR - Université de Rennes); Róbert Veszteg (Waseda University [Tokyo, Japan]) |
| Abstract: | We experimentally test welfarism and scale invariance, two prominent simplifying assumptions that are often used to characterize bargaining solutions in theoretical models. Our study relies on a context-rich bargaining environment and varies the parameters of the bargaining problem along with the information that bargaining parties have about each other. Under the auxiliary assumption of selfishness, it aims at understanding whether bargaining is guided by abstract utilities as assumed by the classic version of cooperative bargaining theory or rather by comparisons in observables (e.g., money) as often assumed by behavioral models of decision-making. The experimental results show that welfarism and scale invariance are supported when the relevant information is only privately known. In general, bargaining outcomes are robust to rescaling that only affects the anchoring points of the utility scale (welfarism), but not to rescaling that affects the units on the utility scale (scale invariance). Overall, our experimental data deliver scarce empirical support to classic theoretical bargaining solutions based on abstract utility units. |
| Keywords: | Welfarism, Scale invariance, Individual rationality, Equal-division solution, Nash bargaining solution, Experiments, Bilateral bargaining |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05246963 |
| By: | Daniel W. Sacks; Justin R. Sydnor |
| Abstract: | Can economic tools help inform the puzzlingly low rate of flu vaccination? Existing interventions focus on misinformation or nudges, not preferences over or beliefs about vaccine characteristics. Using an online experiment, we find a key role for effectiveness and short-run side-effects: equalizing only beliefs and preferences about these characteristics nearly eliminates the vaccination-intention gap between the vaccine hesitant and confident. Fear of needles, inconvenience, and perceived long run health risks play smaller roles. The vaccine hesitant hold pessimistic but plausible beliefs about effectiveness but greatly overestimate side-effect risks. We estimate the impact of correcting inaccurate beliefs and potential subsidies on vaccination rates. |
| JEL: | D9 I1 I12 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34230 |
| By: | Elisabeth Grewenig; Katharina Wedel; Katharina Werner |
| Abstract: | Perceptions about students’ responsibility for their success might have crucial implications for public approval of targeted financial support. Using a survey experiment among the German adult population, we find that information about the correlation of education outcomes and parental background strongly increases the perception that circumstances determine educational success. These effects persist in a follow-up survey conducted two weeks later. Information also significantly increases private donations to charities supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds but does not affect demand for governmental redistributive education spending. This pattern is consistent with differences in perceived opportunity costs of funds used in both spending decisions. |
| Keywords: | circumstances, effort, information, survey experiment, charitable donations, equality of opportunity, policy preferences |
| JEL: | I24 H52 H11 D83 D63 D64 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12148 |
| By: | Felix Chopra (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management); Ingar Haaland (NHH Norwegian School of Economics); Fabian Roeben (University of Cologne); Christopher Roth (University of Cologne, NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, IZA, CEPR); Vanessa Sticher (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: | News outlets compete for engagement rather than reader satisfaction, leading to persistent mismatches between consumer demand and the supply of news. We test whether offering people the opportunity to customize the news can address this mismatch by unbundling presentation from coverage. In our AI-powered news app, users can customize article characteristics, such as the complexity of the writing or the extent of opinion, while holding the underlying news event constant. Using rich news consumption data from large-scale field experiments, we uncover substantial heterogeneity in news preferences. While a significant fraction of users demand politically aligned news, the vast majority of users display a high and persistent demand for less opinionated and more fact-driven news. Customization also leads to a better match between the news consumed and stated preferences, increasing news satisfaction. |
| Keywords: | News Consumption, Customization, Artificial Intelligence, Matching |
| JEL: | C93 D83 L82 P00 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:372 |
| By: | Tom‡s Larroucau (Arizona State University); Ignacio A. Rios (The University of Texas at Dallas); Ana•s Fabre (Institute for Fiscal Studies); Christopher Neilson (Yale University) |
| Abstract: | We examine whether large-scale information interventions can improve college application outcomes in a centralized admissions system. Using nationwide surveys from Chile, we document widespread information frictions and frequent application mistakes, such as omitting attainable preferred programs or failing to include safety options. To address these frictions, we partnered with the Ministry of Education to implement a large-scale field experiment that provided applicants with personalized information on admission probabilities and program characteristics through customized online platforms. The intervention increased the probability that previously unmatched students received an assignment by 44% and improved placement into higher-ranked programs by 20%. Building on these results, the policy was scaled nationwide, reaching all applicants. The scaled-up version, evaluated via an encouragement design, confirmed substantial gains, including higher admission rates for initially unmatched students and persistent enrollment improvements. Our findings show that low-cost, personalized information policies, when integrated into centralized admissions platforms, can substantially reduce application mistakes and improve student outcomes at scale. The results also highlight how leveraging existing market design infrastructure can enable scalable, cost-effective interventions that enhance efficiency and equity in higher education access. |
| Date: | 2025–08–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:2461 |
| By: | Leight, Jessica; Hirvonen, Kalle; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Rakshit, Deboleena |
| Abstract: | While the population of internally displaced people around the world continues to grow, evidence around strategies to sustainably enhance livelihoods among IDPs remains extremely limited. We present findings from a randomized trial of an ultra-poor graduation program targeting IDPs in urban Baidoa, Somalia; the intervention pro-vided cash transfers, an asset transfer or technical training program, and facilitated savings groups. Our findings suggest that two years following program launch, the intervention has led to significant increases in consumption, assets, and savings; however, these effects seem to be driven almost exclusively by increased livestock production. An exploration of heterogeneous effect using generalized random forest methods further suggests that the positive effects of the treatment are dramatically larger for smaller households characterized by lower dependency ratios. |
| Keywords: | development; internally displaced persons; livelihoods; livestock; Somalia; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176389 |
| By: | Kyle, Jordan; Ragasa, Catherine |
| Abstract: | Women’s leadership in policy processes and formal institutions is a powerful pathway to gender equality and women’s empowerment at scale, yet relatively little is known about how key decision-makers who influence access to these positions perceive women’s leadership and how those perceptions can shift. This paper draws on original survey data from 407 elites from 274 agrifood organizations in India and Nigeria to examine elite gender attitudes, their responsiveness to framing interventions, and how these attitudes relate to support for policies promoting gender equality. Specifically, we ask: how do elites in agrifood governance perceive women’s leadership, and how responsive are these perceptions to a targeted framing intervention? We find that elites are substantially more supportive of women’s leadership than the general public in the same countries, yet male elites in particular still express strong endorsement of the idea that men make better leaders. Over half of male elites in our sample in both countries agree that men make better political leaders. A randomized framing experiment embedded in the survey shows that men’s attitudes toward women’s leadership are significantly influenced by how women’s capabilities are framed. Messages emphasizing women’s equal rights and capabilities reduce male elites’ support for gender-unequal statements compared to frames that ask individuals to reject the idea of male superiority. Female elites’ attitudes are more supportive overall and unaffected by framing. These findings suggest that gender messaging strategies should center on positive, equality-based frames, and that elite attitudes are critical to scaling women’s leadership in agrifood governance. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; gender equality; governance; leadership; policy innovation; surveys; women’s empowerment; India; Nigeria; Asia; Southern Asia; Africa; Western Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176312 |
| By: | Ragasa, Catherine; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Ma, Ning; Cole, Steven; Ebrahim, Mohammed; Desta, Gizaw; Mersha, Abiro Tigabie; Mudereri, Bester; Kihiu, Evelyne; Kreye, Christine; Peter, Hellen |
| Abstract: | Extensive prior research has demonstrated that reducing gender discrimination enhances women’s empowerment, promotes more inclusive livelihoods, increases agricultural productivity, and improves other development outcomes. This study aims to contribute to documenting and informing the measurement of gender attitudes that relate directly to reaching, benefiting, and empowering women through agricultural innovations. By analyzing data from 8, 051 survey respondents across study sites in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda, our findings emphasize both commonalities and differences in gender attitudes across different contexts. Furthermore, by including a survey-based experiment during data collection, we assess whether gender-attitude statements vary depending on whether they are presented in a positive frame (focusing on equality) or in a negative frame (focusing on inequality). On average, rural women and men respondents across all countries supported more than half of the gender-equality statements. Some gender-inequality attitudes persisted across the four countries but varied in magnitude and by location, age group, and specific statement or theme. Framing matters: respondents exposed to a positive framing supported 16 percent more gender-equality statements than those exposed to a negative framing. The study highlights two main implications. First, the findings indicate the importance of considering both restrictive attitudes and those that reflect gender-equality opportunities as being in the vanguard. Accordingly, gender-focused interventions should adopt strategies that challenge normative views of women as supporting rather than leading actors in agriculture and economic activities. Second, gender-attitude measures do not perfectly align with country-level gender-equality indicators or with empowerment at the intrahousehold level. They therefore capture a distinct dimension and merit their own indicators. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; development; gender; livelihoods; women’s empowerment; Congo, Democratic Republic of; Ethiopia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Africa; Eastern Africa; West and Central Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176542 |
| By: | Thomas F Epper (LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IÉSEG School Of Management [Puteaux]); Ivan Mitrouchev (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes) |
| Abstract: | Social preferences are widely studied in behavioral economics, with some validated survey modules to measure trust, altruism and reciprocity. Despite growing interest in inequality aversion-defined as an individual's dislike of disparities in outcomes-there is, however, no dedicated and validated module to assess this specific social preference. Moreover, inequality aversion and altruism are often hard to disentangle, which points to the need for a unified module that incorporates both preferences. To bridge these gaps, we introduce a novel survey module that captures general attitudes toward inequality aversion and altruism. This module was developed and validated through an experimental study with a representative U.S. population sample. Our results demonstrate that the proposed module effectively captures variations in both inequality aversion and altruism, with consistent reliability across individual heterogeneity. This tool offers researchers a standardized and generalizable approach for measuring inequality aversion and altruism, paving the way for future studies and across diverse contexts. |
| Abstract: | Les préférences sociales sont largement étudiées en économie comportementale, avec certains modules d'enquête validés pour mesurer la confiance, l'altruisme et la réciprocité. Malgré l'intérêt croissant pour l'aversion à l'inégalité, définie comme l'aversion d'un individu pour les disparités de résultats, il n'existe toutefois aucun module dédié et validé pour évaluer cette préférence sociale spécifique. De plus, l'aversion pour les inégalités et l'altruisme sont souvent difficiles à distinguer, ce qui souligne la nécessité d'un module unifié intégrant ces deux préférences. Pour combler ces lacunes, nous introduisons un nouveau module d'enquête qui permet de saisir les attitudes générales à l'égard de l'aversion pour les inégalités et de l'altruisme. Ce module a été développé et validé dans le cadre d'une étude expérimentale menée auprès d'un échantillon représentatif de la population américaine. Nos résultats démontrent que le module proposé capture efficacement les variations tant en matière d'aversion pour les inégalités que d'altruisme, avec une fiabilité constante malgré l'hétérogénéité des individus. Cet outil offre aux chercheurs une approche standardisée et généralisable pour mesurer l'aversion pour les inégalités et l'altruisme, ouvrant la voie à de futures études dans divers contextes. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, Altruism, Redistribution, Social preferences, Survey instrument |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05247375 |
| By: | Ndegwa, Michael K.; Ward, Patrick S.; Shee, Apurba; You, Liangzhi |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we examine the role of credit in enhancing rural households’ food security and resilience. In so doing, we consider resilience as a higher order capacity outcome, different from traditional development outcomes associated with households’ or individuals’ welfare. We evaluate the effectiveness of two types of agricultural production credit products, one a traditional credit and one that is linked to rainfall index insurance to protect borrowers against the adverse effects of drought. Based on a randomized controlled trial conducted in Machakos county, Kenya, we report both intent-to-treat effects as well as local average treatment effects to demonstrate the impacts of these credit products not only among borrowers, but the broader effects of expanding rural credit markets. We see generally low levels of food security resilience among our sampled households, but we find compelling evidence that credit and expanded credit markets more broadly had beneficial impacts on enhancing households’ food security and resilience. Despite the differences in the two credit products being evaluated, we do not find an appreciable difference in the effects of the two credit types, concluding that the expansion of affordable agricultural credit markets should be among the key policy tools for building resilience among rural smallholders. |
| Keywords: | credit; food security; insurance; resilience; smallholders; Kenya; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–08–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:175990 |
| By: | Foster, Dugald; Postma, Erik; Lamba, Shakti; Mesoudi, Alex (University of Exeter) |
| Abstract: | Explaining how cooperation evolves is a major research programme in the biological and social sciences. In this study we tested evolutionary theories of human cooperation in a real-world social dilemma: joint liability microfinance, in which groups of borrowers must cooperate to successfully repay a shared loan. We used pre-registered Bayesian multilevel models to estimate meta-analytic associations between loan repayment and proxies of four evolutionary mechanisms proposed to support cooperation: relatedness, reciprocity, partner choice, and punishment. A systematic search of the microfinance literature yielded 73 effect estimates for 11 proxies of evolutionary mechanisms analysed in 11 separate meta-analyses. Punishment-based variables showed the strongest positive meta-analytic associations with loan repayment, with mixed results for other mechanisms. However, estimates varied widely in their certainty, with generally high levels of between-study heterogeneity. Our results provide some evidence for evolutionary mechanisms supporting cooperation in real-world contexts, but also indicate there are non-generalisable findings and/or reproducibility issues in the microfinance literature. |
| Date: | 2025–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ykfhb_v1 |
| By: | Hardaker, Adam; Asanov, Igor; Bartoš, František; Bruns, Stephan B. |
| Abstract: | Behavioral interventions on citizens are often promoted as a low-cost route to induce environmen-tally friendly behavior, yet published estimates of their effectiveness are highly variable and prone to selective reporting. We reanalyzed the evidence of behavioral interventions on citizens. We con-ducted Robust Bayesian Meta-Analysis (RoBMA), averaging across a full set of publication-bias adjusted models, to the 144 effect estimates (91 studies) compiled by Nisa et al. (2019). The bias-adjusted model-averaged posterior mean standardized effect of behavioral interventions on citizens is shrunk to 0.00 (95 % credible interval 0.00; 0.00), with a Bayes factor of 66 favoring the null. Accordingly, the previously reported noteworthy mean benefit of -0.093 (95% confidence interval -0.123; -0.063) of behavioral interventions, including promising light-touch interventions (nudges or social comparison), on households and individuals is an artefact of publication bias. There is, how-ever, evidence for small between-study heterogeneity, indicating that some specific interventions might have an effect. Exploratory subgroup tests offered only weak, inconsistent hints of context-specific gains. These results imply that, on average, behavioral interventions on households and individuals are unlikely to deliver material climate benefits. |
| Keywords: | Behavioral interventions, Climate change mitigation, Publication bias, Robust Bayes-ian Meta-Analysis, Pro-environmental behavior |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:263 |