|
on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Hernán Bejarano (CIDE/Chapman University); Matías Busso (IDB); Juan Francisco Santos (IDB) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies trust, reciprocity, and bargaining using a large-scale online experiment in six Latin American countries. Participants were randomly assigned to play trust and ultimatum games under conditions that either disclosed or withheld the gender of their counterpart. On average, gender disclosure did not affect behavior. However, disaggregated results show systematic differences. Men displayed higher levels of trust and reciprocity, particularly when interacting with women, and offered larger shares to women in bargaining. Women, by contrast, reciprocated more when paired with men. These findings show how gendered interactions can influence economic behavior, even when counterpart information is conveyed minimally. |
| Keywords: | Trust; Reciprocity; Bargaining; Gender; Latin America |
| JEL: | C92 D91 J16 O54 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aoz:wpaper:375 |
| By: | Roberto Galbiati (Sciences Po - Sciences Po, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research); Emeric Henry (Sciences Po - Sciences Po, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research); Nicolas Jacquemet (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris); Itzhak Rasooly (City St George’s, University of London [London]) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we report the results of two experiments that attempt to elicit social image effects. The first experiment (N = 1, 252) provides little evidence that individuals behave in more 'prosocial' ways when their choices are disclosed to other participants. If anything, imposing observability appears to make the participants slightly less prosocial, although this effect is not statistically significant. The second experiment (N = 750) generates similar results and further suggests that our results are not dependent on the omission (or inclusion) of ranking information. We discuss why our experiments fail to generate the results that we had expected and why our results differ from those in the published literature. |
| Keywords: | Social image, Laboratory experiment, Replication |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-05319301 |
| By: | Lu Fang; Zhe Yuan; Kaifu Zhang; Dante Donati; Miklos Sarvary |
| Abstract: | We quantify the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on firm productivity through a series of large-scale randomized field experiments involving millions of users and products at a leading cross-border online retail platform. Over six months in 2023-2024, GenAI-based enhancements were integrated into seven consumer-facing business workflows. We find that GenAI adoption significantly increases sales, with treatment effects ranging from 0% to 16.3%, depending on GenAI’s marginal contribution relative to existing firm practices. Because inputs and prices were held constant across experimental arms, these gains map directly into total factor productivity improvements. Across the four GenAI applications with positive effects, the implied annual incremental value is approximately $5 per consumer—an economically meaningful impact given the retailer’s scale and the early stage of GenAI adoption. The primary mechanism operates through higher conversion rates, consistent with GenAI reducing frictions in the marketplace and improving consumer experience. We also document substantial heterogeneity: smaller and newer sellers, as well as less experienced consumers, exhibit disproportionately larger gains. Our findings provide novel, large-scale causal evidence on the productivity effects of GenAI in online retail, highlighting both its immediate value and broader potential. |
| Keywords: | field experiments, generative AI, productivity, retail platforms, consumer experience |
| JEL: | C93 D24 L81 M31 O3 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12201 |
| By: | Baranski, Andrzej (New York University, Abu Dhabi); Reuben, Ernesto (New York University, Abu Dhabi); Riedl, Arno (Maastricht University) |
| Abstract: | In a laboratory experiment, we study the role of fairness ideals as focal points in coordination problems in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. We elicit the normatively preferred behavior about how a subsequent coordination game should be played. In homogeneous groups, people share a unique fairness ideal how to solve the coordination problem, whereas in heterogeneous groups, multiple conflicting fairness ideals prevail. In the coordination game, homogeneous groups are significantly more likely than their heterogeneous counterparts to sustain efficient coordination. The reason is that homogeneous groups coordinate on the unique fairness ideal, whereas heterogeneous groups disagree on the fairness ideal to be played. In both types of groups, equilibria consistent with fairness ideals are most stable. Hence, the difference in coordination success between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups occurs because of the normative disagreement in the latter types of group, making it much harder to reach an equilibrium at a fairness ideal. |
| Keywords: | cooperation, coordination, focal points, fairness ideals, experiment |
| JEL: | H41 C92 D63 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18200 |
| By: | Tiziana Assenza (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements 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); Alberto Cardaci (Goethe University Frankfurt = Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main); D. Delli Gatti (Unicatt - Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore [Milano]) |
| Abstract: | Existing evidence suggests that individuals often misperceive the value of their wealth. We examine the existence, direction, and magnitude of these misperceptions through a laboratory experiment. Our findings indicate that variations in the leverage ratio (the ratio of liabilities to assets) influence how individuals rank financial profiles, even when net wealth remains constant. Most subjects perceive a given net worth as greater than its true value, and this misperception becomes more pronounced in financial profiles with lower leverage ratios. We further explore how cognitive sophistication and behavioral/economic attitudes shape wealth misperception. Experimental evidence shows that misperception is associated with lower cognitive sophistication and inattentive thinking. Moreover, it correlates with greater impatience, lower debt aversion, and higher marginal propensities to consume following positive (transitory) income shocks. |
| Keywords: | Perception, Metacognition, Market Psychology, Economic Psychology, Cognition, Behavioral Finance |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05300791 |
| By: | Disslbacher, Franziska (Vienna University of Economics and Business); Haselmayer, Martin; Rapp, Severin; Lehner, Lukas; Windisch, Franziska |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates how participation in a citizens’ assembly affects individuals’ redistributive preferences and (perceived) role in democracy. We implement a pre-registered field experiment embedded in a real-world citizens’ assembly on wealth inequality in Austria. Using a three-group-design comparing assembly participants, non-selected volunteers, and a population sample, we isolate the causal effects of taking part in a citizens’ assembly from self-selection into participation. We find that while participating in the citizens’ assembly substantially improves factual knowledge about the wealth distribution and promotes convergence around specific tax policy proposals, notably a EUR 1 million allowance, it has no measurable effect on political efficacy or broader civic engagement. We also document significant political self-selection: individuals willing to participate in the citizens’ assembly were already more engaged and supportive of redistribution than the general population. These findings suggest that while deliberative formats can foster informed convergence on policy proposals, their ability to mobilize broader publics is limited – especially if they primarily engage the already supportive and, as in this case, lack institutional anchoring that might facilitate spillover into more institutionalized political arenas. (Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality Working Paper) |
| Date: | 2025–10–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:zcuw6_v1 |
| By: | Lu Fang; Zhe Yuan; Kaifu Zhang; Dante Donati; Miklos Sarvary |
| Abstract: | We quantify the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on firm productivity through a series of large-scale randomized field experiments involving millions of users and products at a leading cross-border online retail platform. Over six months in 2023-2024, GenAI-based enhancements were integrated into seven consumer-facing business workflows. We find that GenAI adoption significantly increases sales, with treatment effects ranging from 0\% to 16.3\%, depending on GenAI's marginal contribution relative to existing firm practices. Because inputs and prices were held constant across experimental arms, these gains map directly into total factor productivity improvements. Across the four GenAI applications with positive effects, the implied annual incremental value is approximately \$5 per consumer-an economically meaningful impact given the retailer's scale and the early stage of GenAI adoption. The primary mechanism operates through higher conversion rates, consistent with GenAI reducing frictions in the marketplace and improving consumer experience. We also document substantial heterogeneity: smaller and newer sellers, as well as less experienced consumers, exhibit disproportionately larger gains. Our findings provide novel, large-scale causal evidence on the productivity effects of GenAI in online retail, highlighting both its immediate value and broader potential. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.12049 |
| By: | Claudia Cerrone; Francesco Feri; Anita Gantner; Paolo Pin |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates whether the decoy effect - specifically the attraction effect - can foster cooperation in social networks. In a lab experiment, we show that introducing a dominated option increases the selection of the target choice, especially in early decisions. The effect is stronger in individual settings but persists in networks despite free-riding incentives, with variation depending on the decision-maker's strategic position. |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2509.13887 |
| By: | Kenneth Eva; Michael J. Lamla; Damjan Pfajfar |
| Abstract: | We document novel stylized facts regarding updating of households' inflation expectations. Using two randomized controlled trials fielded in the US and Germany where signals in the form of professionals' inflation forecasts have different perceived levels of precision, we show that households react more to information with higher levels of precision, in line with Bayesian updating. However, in contrast to Bayesian updating, they mostly respond differently to these signals in the decision to update expectations (extensive margin) and not in the size of the adjustment (intensive margin). The extensive margin also displays a pronounced asymmetry: Households more frequently update their expectations when the signal is above the prior compared to when the signal is below the prior. We propose a model where households' inflation expectations exhibit state-dependent inattentiveness to inflation signals. In times of high uncertainty, elevated inflation expectations may persist due to the increased information processing costs of uncertain inflation signals and the relatively smaller welfare losses of not adjusting expectations when signals are below priors (disinflations) compared to when signals are above priors (accelerating inflation). Our model provides microfoundations for the asymmetric loss function that is commonly assumed to explain biases in inflation expectations. |
| Keywords: | inflation expectations; rational inattention; signal uncertainty; randomized controlled trial; survey experiment |
| JEL: | E31 E52 E58 D84 |
| Date: | 2025–10–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedcwq:101930 |
| By: | Martinez-Felip, Daniel; Schilizzi, Steven G.M.; Nguyen, Chi; Pannell, David |
| Abstract: | In analysing potential policy responses to improve outcomes in collective-action problems, economists often focus on financial disincentives to reduce the expected gains from free-riding and thereby promote within-group cooperation. In this study, we investigate the potential for groups to develop non-financial disincentives to free riding, thereby promoting convergence towards collectively beneficial actions. Using a within-subjects laboratory experiment, participants play two multi-period public-goods games sequentially: without and then with non-financial incentives activated by allowing for the endogenous formation of a social exclusion mechanism. This is operationalised by allowing participants, at a personal cost, to assign exclusion tickets to group members after observing their contributions: the member(s) having accumulated the most in their group gets excluded from a group activity not involving monetary payoffs nor linked to the main game. First, the threat of receiving exclusion tickets, then the threat of being excluded, and finally actually being excluded work as non-financial social disincentives to free ride. Results show that group members who contribute relatively less receive more exclusion tickets. By imposing expected social costs on relatively low contributors, exclusion or the threat of exclusion enables groups to operate with higher contribution levels, thereby reversing the collective decline in contributions observed in the Baseline public good game. Exclusion is experienced by individuals who consistently contribute less than other group members, and this experience amplifies the effectiveness of the subsequent exclusion threat. Willingness to incur personal costs to enhance the exclusion threat increases over time and it is shaped by more cooperative normative expectations. This effect is particularly pronounced among individuals who perceive norms as tight, especially when higher contributions become more dispersed. In the absence of financial disincentives, these patterns show how non-financial incentives, shaped by more cooperative normative expectations, can foster group coordination and higher public-good contributions. |
| Date: | 2025–10–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:j7usg_v1 |
| By: | Burdin, Gabriel (University of Siena); Landini, Fabio (University of Parma) |
| Abstract: | Why does capital typically hire labor rather than the other way around? Employee-owned firms with majority workforce control—such as worker cooperatives—remain rare in market economies, despite evidence that they perform at least as well as investor-owned firms across various contexts. In this paper, we examine whether beliefs help explain this puzzle by shaping policy preferences and willingness to work in such organizations. In a preregistered experiment guided by a detailed pre-analysis plan, we randomly exposed 2, 000 young adults to information from an international expert survey. Respondents held more pessimistic prior beliefs about worker cooperatives compared to experts. Information exposure led to more optimistic beliefs and increased support for pro-cooperative policies. Text analysis of open-ended responses reveals fewer negative and more positive first-order concerns about cooperatives in the treatment group. We also find suggestive evidence of a relative re-ranking of career intentions in favor of worker cooperatives. |
| Keywords: | cooperatives, employee ownership, preferences, job attributes, career intentions, beliefs, information experiment |
| JEL: | C91 D83 J24 J54 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18196 |
| By: | Lars Boerner (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, IWH Leibniz Institute & DAFM King’s College London); Erik O. Kimbrough (Economic Science Institute, Chapman University); Mouli Modak |
| Abstract: | We study how well people are able to solve pure coordination problems in continuous time. Subjects decide whether and when to pay a cost to go to market with their goods and earn money only if another person shows up at the same time. We show that coordination failure is common in a baseline, and we introduce treatments that feature public coordination devices (meant to mimic clocks) and assess the extent to which coordination improves when such devices are provided via different institutions. A publicly provided device outperforms a variety of privately provided alternatives. Our evidence suggests this is because reliable public provision eliminates uncertainty about whether (and how many) other people expect to observe the coordinating signal. |
| Keywords: | coordination games, experiments, timing games |
| JEL: | C7 C9 D01 D9 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:chu:wpaper:25-09 |
| By: | Alan Montgomery (University of Nottingham); Reuben Ogollah (University of Nottingham); Christopher Partlett (University of Nottingham); Cydney Bruce (University of Nottingham) |
| Abstract: | When designing and conducting a randomized controlled trial, there are a variety of randomization methods to choose from, but limited evidence on the performance of the methods under speciRc study designs. The rampe package contains 12 metrics designed to measure the balance and predictability of randomization sequences in Stata. This will allow researchers to easily compare method performance using data that mirrors the speciRc trial that is being designed. Balance metrics: Measured both as the greatest imbalance observed throughout recruitment and as the Rnal imbalance once the target sample size is achieved. groupimbalance: Measures the imbalance between the expected and observed ratio of participants in each treatment group. charimbalance: Measures the greatest imbalance observed across a set of covariates and the average imbalance across covariates. Predictability metrics: Measured as the proportion of correct guesses for a variety of prediction strategies. This is calculated for the whole sequence and assuming that recruiting sites have information only about previous allocations at their own site. Alternation recruiter assumes the next allocation is the one least recently allocated. backtheloser: Recruiter assumes the next allocation is the one with the fewest previous allocations. predbalance: Recruiter assumes the next allocation is the group with the smallest marginal total across randomization covariates. In this talk, I will describe each of the developed metrics in more detail, discuss the interpretation of each metric, and demonstrate with an example how this package can be used in practice. |
| Date: | 2025–09–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boc:lsug25:09 |
| By: | Bodo Vogt; Paul Bengart; Caroylyn Declerck; Ernst Fehr |
| Abstract: | In recent years, increasing skepticism regarding oxytocin’s (OT) influence on social behavior arose. Low power, HARKing (hypothesizing after the results are known), and replication failures have clouded the field. Here, we directly address these concerns with a high-powered, preregistered study that offers robust evidence for a causal effect of OT on trust among individuals with a low disposition to trust. We recruited 359 low-trusting individuals who participated in a trust game under strict anonymity conditions. Results show that OT administration significantly increased trusting behavior by roughly 15%, with consistent effects across regression models with and without controls for personality traits. A pooled data analysis incorporating a previous sample (n=219) of low-trusting individuals further strengthens this conclusion, yielding a statistically significant 16.9% increase in trust. Crucially, no interaction effect was found between OT and the degree of dispositional trust, suggesting OT’s effect is uniform across the low-trusting spectrum. These findings present a strong case for OT’s selective trust-enhancing role. By isolating OT’s impact within a well-defined subpopulation and experimental context, this study provides a critical pivot in the debate over neurobiological mechanisms of trust. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zur:econwp:481 |
| By: | Catherine C. Eckel (Texas A&M University); Lata Gangadharan (Monash University); Philip J. Grossman (Monash University); Miranda Lambert (Texas A&M University); Nina Xue (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business,) |
| Abstract: | Motivated by the stereotype that women are more cooperative and less competitive, we investigate how the institutional environment impacts the gender leadership gap. An experiment tests leaders’ impact on earnings under competitive (“winner take all”) versus cooperative (equal earnings distribution) incentive schemes. All leaders enhance efficiency similarly, but a gender gap emerges in the competitive context where women receive lower evaluations for identical advice. This bias disappears in the cooperative context where female leaders are evaluated 50% higher, suggesting that congruence between the environment and gender stereotypes has important policy implications. Men are more willing to lead, regardless of context. |
| Keywords: | gender, leadership, institutional environment, performance evaluation, lab ex- periment |
| JEL: | C92 D91 J16 J71 M14 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mos:moswps:2025-13 |
| By: | Rakesh Banerjee (University of Exeter Business School); Tushar Bharati (Economics Programme, University of Western Australia); Adnan Fakir (University of Sussex Business School); Yiwei Qian (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics) |
| Abstract: | We conducted an experiment on a major international online freelancing platform to examine how increased flexibility in daily work hours affects female participation. We post identical job advertisements (for 320 jobs) covering a wide range of tasks (80 distinct tasks) that differ only in flexibility and the wage offered. Comparing the numbers of applicants for these jobs, we find that, while both men and women prefer flexibility, the elasticity of response for women is twice that for men. Flexible jobs attracted 24% more women and 12% more men than inflexible ones. Importantly, these increases did not compromise the quality of the applications. In contrast, there is suggestive evidence that flexible jobs attracted higher-quality female candidates. Our findings have significant implications for understanding gender disparities in labor market outcomes and for shaping equity-focused policies of organizations. |
| Keywords: | workplace flexibility, online freelancing jobs, female labor force participation |
| JEL: | J22 O14 J16 L86 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uwa:wpaper:25-09 |
| By: | Jens Abildtrup; Géraldine Bocquého; Kene Boun My; Anne Stenger; Tuyen Tiet |
| Abstract: | We conduct a lab experiment to investigate the impact of voluntary and mandatory joint-bidding schemes on the performance of conservation auctions. Our results suggest that joint bidding increases auction performance compared to the singlebidding baseline. Within the voluntary joint-bidding conditions, a bonus payment incentive improves auction performance by encouraging the subjects to give low bids. However, voluntary joint bidding performs worse than mandatory joint bidding, even with the bonus incentive. Therefore, when implementing voluntary joint bids to ensure high acceptability from landowners compared to mandatory ones, policymakers should carefully consider performance issues. |
| Keywords: | Auction; Conservation; Mandatory; Joint bidding; Voluntary |
| JEL: | C57 C90 D70 Q50 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2025-40 |
| By: | Ernst Fehr; Julien Senn; Thomas Epper; Aljosha Henkel |
| Abstract: | In this registered report, we investigate (i) whether incentives affect subjects’ willingness to pay to increase, and to decrease the payoff of others, (ii) whether they affect the distribution of social preference types, and (iii) whether they affect the strength and the precision of individuals’ structurally estimated social preference parameters. Using an online experiment with a general population sample, we show that the use of monetary incentives, as well as the size of the stakes, have little impact on subjects’ modal choices (descriptive analysis), as well as for the distribution of qualitatively distinct preference types in the population (clustering analysis). However, monetary incentives affect quantitative measures of the strength and the precision of social preferences. Indeed, a structural analysis reveals that the preference elicitation with merely hypothetical stakes leads to an overestimation and a less precise measurement of social preferences. Together, these results highlight that incentivizing the elicitation of social preferences is most useful when interested in quantitative estimates. For researchers interested in identifying merely qualitative preferences types, however, hypothetical stakes might suffice. |
| Keywords: | Social preferences, altruism, inequality aversion, incentives |
| JEL: | C80 C90 D30 D63 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zur:econwp:482 |
| By: | Antonella Ianni; Margarita Katsimi; Helia Marreiros |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates a voting model in which two candidates strategically compete in a winner-take-all election. Voters consider both the spatial dimension of policy positions and other attributes, or valence, of each candidate. Candidates are policy motivated and endeavor to make specific attributes ”salient” in voters’ minds by leveraging their comparative advantages to influence the voting outcome - a form of ”heresthetic” behaviour. The paper offers three contributions. First, it characterizes Salient Political Equilibria and suggests ways in which the notion of salience can be made operational. Second, it provides novel experimental evidence supporting voting salient behaviour. Third, it offers empirical evidence that candidates internalize the externality that ensues from voters salient behaviour, in the context of the European migration crisis of 2015. The theoretical, experimental, and empirical findings challenge the conventional median voter paradigm and its implications by highlighting the significant impact of voters’ salience on electoral outcomes. |
| Keywords: | voting, salience, valence, heresthetic, experiment |
| JEL: | D72 D91 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12200 |
| By: | Arslanoğlu, Selin (Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management) |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tiu:tiutis:1b3326be-fe17-4372-9be4-0bf5f747e2ef |
| By: | Marielle Brunette; Stéphane Couture; Patrice Loisel |
| Abstract: | Decision-making processes increasingly involve ambiguity rather than risk, and multiple ambiguities rather than a single one. In this article, we consider how different sources of ambiguity, as well as two-source ambiguity, affect decision-making in relation to risk. We also examine the value of information that eliminates or reduces ambiguity. Finally, we analyse the effect of ambiguity preferences on the results. To this end, we propose an experiment in forest management in the context of climate change, which is a typical decision-making situation involving multiple ambiguities. We demonstrate that the various sources of ambiguity modify the optimal decision in comparison to situations involving risk. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ambiguity aversion significantly impacts the optimal decision. The results reveal that the value of information that eliminates one-source ambiguity is positive in both one- and two-source ambiguity situations. However, ambiguity aversion has no significant impact on this value. |
| Keywords: | risk, ambiguity, decision, information value |
| JEL: | D81 Q23 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2025-41 |
| By: | Shu Cai (Jinan University); Albert Park (Asian Development Bank); Sangui Wang (Renmin University of China) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impacts of a government-led microcredit program in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which was implemented at scale in poor rural areas, using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). In contrast to recent RCT-based studies that found no evidence of significant increases in income from microcredit interventions, we find that the Chinese program significantly raises household income and reduces poverty. We explore possible explanations for why the estimated impacts may be greater in the PRC, including larger loan size, lump sum repayments, lower interest rates, less access to formal credit before the program, and greater returns from credit constrained off-farm employment opportunities. |
| Keywords: | microfinance;program evaluations;randomized controlled trial |
| JEL: | D12 D22 G21 I32 O16 |
| Date: | 2025–10–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:021688 |
| By: | Amandine Belard (Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR G-EAU - Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - 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); Stefano Farolfi (Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR G-EAU - Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - 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); Damien Jourdain (Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR G-EAU - Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement); Mark Manyanga (UZ - University of Zimbabwe, SENS - Savoirs, ENvironnement et Sociétés - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - UMPV - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry); Tarisayi Pedzisa (UZ - University of Zimbabwe); 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, CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - FRE2010 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UM - Université de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier) |
| Abstract: | Community-based development (CBD) projects have long emphasized a bottom-up approach. For CBD initiatives to succeed, communities must harness their social capital, organize themselves, and actively engage in development processes. While CBD proponents highlight the promotion of social capital through community-based projects, critics argue that their effectiveness relies on pre-existing levels of trust, trustworthiness, and community interactions. To contribute to this debate, we investigate the selection bias regarding social capital induced by the recruitment strategy of an NGO in Zimbabwe. We look at differences between selected beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in terms of pro-social behaviors, measured by incentivized games, and in terms of social networks. We also use this information to test whether being part of the same networks translates into increased trust, altruistic behaviors, and willingness to participate in collective action. Our study, conducted in 2022 in the rural district of Murehwa, Zimbabwe, comprised a survey and lab-in-the-field experiments (trust game, public good game, dictator game) involving 341 subjects. Findings showed that selected beneficiaries exhibit higher network density than non-beneficiaries. However, except for a partial experimental measure of trustworthiness, we observed no significant differences in prosocial behavior between the two groups before project implementation. The results suggest that although selected beneficiaries are more socially connected, they do not exhibit higher prosocial behaviors. These findings shed light on the common selection process used by development agencies and the inherent bias they introduce. To address this bias, development agencies should reconsider recruitment strategies that prioritize existing social ties, as they may unintentionally exclude less-connected community members. Instead, they should explore alternative selection approaches, such as the use of field data to ensure inclusiveness. Additionally, integrating trust-building activities at the beginning of projects could enhance cooperation among participants. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05314443 |
| By: | Andrea González (Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina. CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política (IIEP). Buenos Aires, Argentina.); Juan Carlos Hallak (Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina. CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política (IIEP). Buenos Aires, Argentina.); Leonardo Iacovone (World Bank.); Santiago Llamas (Analysis Group.); Martín Rossi (Universidad de San Andrés. Buenos Aires, Argentina.) |
| Abstract: | We evaluate an RCT-based export consulting program (Good Exporting Practices) run by Argentina’s national EPA. While average effects are null, impacts are large and significant on the extensive margin for a subset of properly selected firms. |
| Keywords: | Exports; Practices; RCT; Consulting; Management |
| JEL: | F10 F13 F14 H41 L25 O25 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ake:iiepdt:2025-97 |
| By: | Ali, Nadia (Columbia University); De Giorgi, Giacomo (University of Geneva); Rahman, Aminur (Asian Development Bank); Verhoogen, Eric (Columbia University) |
| Abstract: | Many countries seek to promote exports by subsidizing market access, but evidence on such efforts has been mixed. We present the first randomized evaluation of a government financial-support program explicitly targeting exports, the Tasdir+ program in Tunisia. The program offered matching grants for fixed market-access costs but not variable costs. Tracking outcomes in administrative data, we find positive effects on exports on average. We find limited impacts on the number of destinations or exported products, which were stated policy targets. The finding that the fixed-cost subsidies expanded exports on the intensive margin but not the extensive margins of destinations or products stands in contrast to the predictions of several workhorse trade models. |
| Keywords: | intensive margin, market access, export promotion |
| JEL: | F14 O14 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18184 |
| By: | Hoy, Christopher Alexander; Kim, Yeon Soo; Imtiaz, Saad; Rojas Mendez, Ana Maria; Meyer, Moritz; Canavire Bacarreza, Gustavo Javier; Kim, Lydia; Seitz, William Hutchins; Helmy, Imane; Uochi, Ikuko; Touray, Sering; Singh, Juni; Sjahrir, Bambang Suharnoko; Pape, Utz Johann; Fuchs Tarlovsky, Alan; Nguyen, Trang Van; Gencer, Defne; Lee, Min A; Sagesaka, Akiko; Contreras, Ivette |
| Abstract: | Public opposition is a major barrier to economic reforms, such as subsidy removal. Using multilayered, randomized survey experiments with 10, 000 respondents across ten surveys in five countries, this paper shows that opposition to energy price reforms is shaped more by design and communication than by cost. Around 70 percent of respondents strongly opposed a 100 percent immediate price increase, but resistance was nearly halved when reforms were phased in, targeted at high-energy consumers, or paired with compensation. Informational messages also reduced opposition by as much as halving the price increase. An expert prediction survey revealed systematic misunderstandings: specialists underestimated the influence of design features and greatly misperceived coping strategies and compensation preferences. These findings demonstrate that behavioral biases—such as present bias, loss aversion, and fairness heuristics—are as influential as economic costs in shaping people’s opposition to economic reforms, underscoring the importance of careful design and communication of politically sensitive reforms. |
| Date: | 2025–10–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11233 |
| By: | Ana Alicia Dipierri |
| Abstract: | The agri-food system stands at a crossroads: by 2050, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion, necessitating a 50-60% increase in food output (Alexandratos & Bruinsma, 2012; Falcon et al. 2022; Grafton et al. 2015; Makuvaro et al. 2018). These challenges will exacerbate the already critical situation, with 673 million people suffering from hunger (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, 2025), 890 million people being obese, and 2.5 billion overweight (World Health Organization, 2025), while over 2 billion people across the globe are experiencing micronutrient malnutrition (Passarelli et al. 2024). Simultaneously, the agri- food sector is currently responsible for nearly one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2020; Smith et al. 2019). These interconnected challenges underscore a systemic crisis and an urgent need for a profound transformation of the agri-food system toward sustainability, ensuring ongoing access to nutritious food for current and future generations. My dissertation, “Behavioral and managerial changes towards sustainable development in the food system”, examines sustainability in the agri-food sector as a collective goal that requires prioritizing long-term societal interest over short-term individual gains. I do this through the lens of Collective Action Theory.My research approach is pragmatic in nature (Morgan, 2007; Shannon-Baker, 2016). For instance, I selected research methods based on their usefulness for understanding and explaining my research question. This principle led me to employ a mixed-methods approach (Kaushik & Walsh, 2019), which allowed me to understand the complex cooperation problems within the agri-food sector across two real-world arenas: communal irrigation systems in Argentina and the corporate sector in Belgium. In Argentina, I explored real-world social dilemmas associated with communal irrigation systems through a framed field experiment with small-scale farmers. To replicate real conditions, I adapted an experimental setting (Anderies et al. 2013), in collaboration with local actors (government officials and technicians), and conducted several pilot tests with students. While the framed field experiment provided me with rich behavioral data, the post-experimental surveys, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and non-participatory observations uncovered qualitative and relational aspects. Meanwhile, in Belgium, a nationwide survey mapped the ecological responsiveness motives of the corporate sector and assessed the ability of explanatory variables to predict them. I developed this survey in collaboration with the corporate sector and refined it through several pilot testing rounds involving colleagues and representatives from firms to ensure it reflects corporate pro- environmental motivations. Overall, this methodological design reflects my interest in linking theory with practice by co-producing the methodological instruments with those involved in xivreal-world problems (small-scale farmers and firms) and conducting several pilot tests to ensure a realistic representation.Aligned with this methodological grounding, I am very interested in working with grassroots organizations, such as water associations or cooperatives, and key actors in the agri-food system who have the leverage to reduce the sector’s ecological footprint. During the fieldwork, I assumed several roles (facilitator of the experiments, observer of their realities, and translator of complex contexts), but always honored the local, grounded knowledge that informs this dissertation by maintaining an analytical distance.Complementing this practical focus, ethics and values are central to my research approach. To this end, I obtained informed consent from all informants (small-scale farmers and firm representatives) (Singer & Couper, 2010) and provided fair compensation to those who invested significant time during data collection (small-scale farmers in the experimental sessions) (Harrison & List, 2004). Furthermore, consistent with the dissertation’s ethical standards, all data were kept confidential and reported only in aggregated form or with coded informants’ details (no personal data was revealed).My dissertation can be considered systemic for several reasons. First, it is problem-driven and guided by a real-world problem (Bergmann et al. 2021; Zucca et al. 2021). Second, methodological decisions are based on the best-fit principle to address the research question, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods (Helgheim, van der Linden & Teryokhin, 2024). Third, I designed the research questions to advance theory development through a hypothesis-testing approach, using triangulated information to serve this purpose. Fourth, I engaged many actors in the dissertation development to account for the diverse voices and inputs, thereby improving the realism and quality of the data gathered. To this end, I consulted with government officials and technicians to adapt the experimental setting, students to test the experimental adaptations, colleagues and firms’ representatives to test the survey structure, small-scale farmers and firm representatives to collect the information (Norström et al. 2020). Lastly, but not least, my supervision committee broadened my understanding of the problem through their areas of expertise (econometric, psychological, and sustainability) in addition to behavioral and managerial economics (Bergmann et al. 2021; Jahn, Bergmann & Keil, 2012). Thus, the systemic approach permeates all aspects of my dissertation, from problem development to academic supervision.From this systematic foundation, and through three empirical studies, my dissertation presents robust evidence in support of my main argument: collective action is crucial to overcoming the challenges of food sustainability. In the first chapter, I demonstrate that while institutional robustness is crucial for overcoming uncertainty, individual and group dynamics, along withxvtheir features, also play a significant role. In Chapter 2, I demonstrate that while institutions and networks help overcome classical common-pool resource social dilemmas in an asymmetric setting under uncertainty, trust does not seem to have this capacity. Finally, in Chapter 3, I demonstrate that ecological responsiveness motives vary among firms and that certain demographic and motivational variables may have predictive capacity.To organize these findings, my dissertation follows a typical cumulative dissertation structure. The reader will find an extensive introduction that disentangles the problem at stake, outlines the research question, presents the guiding hypothesis, and includes a relevant literature review and the methodological approach. Later, the dissertation continues with a discussion of the three evidence-based research studies I conducted. These are:Chapter 1 - The role of institutional robustness in a collective action dilemma under environmental variations.Chapter 2 - Does uncertainty lead to cooperation or competition in collective action? The role of social capital.Chapter 3 - Firms’ ecological responsiveness motivations: are internal and external drives of pro-environmental initiatives and key firm features potential predictors?My dissertation concludes by synthesizing key findings, providing policy guidance based on these novel insights, and encouraging future researchers to explore collective action research further. Key methodological contributions—including the development of methodological tools, detailed protocols, surveys, and interview guides—are available in the appendices to aid future comparative research across diverse contexts.As you began reading, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude for your interest in my work. I hope my dissertation earns the time you will invest in reading it. |
| Keywords: | sustainability; agri-food sector; institutional robustness; social capital; ecological responsiveness; food sustainability |
| Date: | 2025–10–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/395398 |
| By: | Sebastian Blesse; Klaus Gründler; Philipp Heil; Henning Hermes |
| Abstract: | Economic narratives are pervasive in the public discourse and can shape individual behavior. But so far we know very little about whether households actually demand and value narratives as information. We combine a comprehensive expert survey with a large-scale nationally representative household sample in the U.S. to examine the demand for economic narratives in a high-stakes environment of an unprecedentedly high recession probability. We document a substantial willingness to pay for economic narratives of more than 4 USD, which is higher than for numerical forecast information. The dominant motives for acquiring narratives are intrinsic, but a smaller share of participants also lists instrumental motives. Economic narratives improve respondents’ understanding of recession drivers and shape beliefs about the economy and spending, but exert only a minor impact on quantitative expectations. Our findings underscore the potential of narratives as a tool to improve economic understanding and to foster more informed decision-making. |
| Keywords: | narratives, experts, information acquisition, willingness to pay, expectation formation, belief formation, spending ontentions, recession |
| JEL: | D83 D84 D12 E32 E71 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12204 |