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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Wang, Lei; Jiang, Dingjing; Zhang, Siqi; Rozelle, Scott D. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343987 |
| By: | Shohei Yamamoto; Rebecca McDonald; Daniel Read |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how outcome modality in intertemporal choice influences time preferences and whether the process differs across cultures, specifically Japan and the United States. Uni-modal choices are those when the outcomes being compared over time are very similar, and cross-modal choices are those when the outcomes are very different. The cross-modal effect, previously shown in the U.S., is that there is greater patience in cross-modal decisions. In Experiment 1, we employed a between-participants design, in which participants either made uni-modal or cross-modal decisions. In Experiment 2, we employed a within-participants design in which everyone made both types of decision. In both Experiments we replicated the cross-modal effect. Moreover, the magnitude of the effect did not vary with factors known to relate to time preference, such as cognitive ability and social status, and it did not differ across cultures, even though Japanese participants were much more patient than American ones. The effect was stronger in the between- than within-participants experiment. These results strengthen the conclusion that the cross-modal effect is universal and strengthens the argument that it is due to the fundamental process of attentional dilution. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.23126 |
| By: | Adam Zylbersztejn (Université Lyon 2, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Emlyon Business School, GATE, CNRS, 69007, Lyon, France; research fellow at Vistula University Warsaw (AFiBV), Warsaw, Poland); Zakaria Babutsidze (SKEMA Business School, Université Côte d’Azur (GREDEG), Nice, France); Nobuyuki Hanaki (Institute of Social and Economic Research, the University of Osaka, Japan, and University of Limassol, Cyprus); Astrid Hopfensitz (Emlyon Business School, Université Lyon 2, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, GATE, CNRS, 69007, Lyon, France) |
| Abstract: | In social interactions, humans care about knowing their partner’s face. Some experiments report that facial information facilitates trustworthiness detection, while others find it does not. We add to this literature by exploring heterogeneity in the demand for, and in the usefulness of, facial information. The incentivized experimental task consists in predicting strangers’ trustworthiness from neutral portrait pictures. Using data from a three-stage laboratory experiment (N = 357) including two independent sets of stimuli coupled with two distinct sources of predictions, we document substantial heterogeneity in facial informativeness. However, we find that trustworthiness detection from facial information is not an ability. Nonetheless, individuals assign excessive value to receiving facial information about others. |
| Keywords: | trustworthiness, inference, facial information, individual heterogeneity, hidden action game, economic experiment |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gat:wpaper:2527 |
| By: | Sofoklis Goulas; Rigissa Megalokonomou; Tommaso Sartori |
| Abstract: | Teachers play a central role in shaping how students benefit from peers, yet little is known about how classroom composition affects their attention-allocation decisions. We conduct a large-scale randomized experiment using realistic class- room vignettes to assess how teachers engage with students under varying scenarios and objectives. The presence of a high achiever reduces the likelihood that teachers engage with a low achiever by about 8%, with substantially larger effects when teachers prioritize task success, consistent with convenience-based decision-making. Using administrative data, we show that low achievers per- form worse when quasi-randomly assigned to a classroom with an exceptional student. |
| Keywords: | teacher behavior, attention allocation, randomized controlled trial, educational inequality, peer effects |
| JEL: | I21 I28 C93 D91 J24 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12301 |
| By: | Allison Benson (Acción Pública Community Think Tank, Colombia); Juan José Rojas (Universidad de los Andes); Juan Felipe Ortiz-Riomalo (Universidad de los Andes) |
| Abstract: | Inequality remains a critical global issue, with wealth and income inequality increasing worldwide, especially in regions like Latin America. Research suggests that people’s beliefs shape the persistence of inequality, and that social context and social interactions, in turn, influence beliefs. This paper examines how externally structured social interactions and reflections upon inequality can alter beliefs about inequality, as well as distributive choices. We pre-registered and conducted a field experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to treatments involving one-on-one conversations framed optimistically or pessimistically, or to a guided self-reflection using visual aids and prompts. Comparisons across structured intervention formats reveal post treatment differences in belief and behavioral change, although the differences across treatments are not statistically significant. Nonetheless, further exploration of the data suggests that one-on-one conversations under an optimistic framing, can be particularly effective in triggering optimistic beliefs about the potential of changing inequality. The extent of our effects appears to be bounded by the specific sample composition of our study participants, who exhibited high ex-ante levels of concern about inequality as well as highly prosocial distributive choices. These insights invite future research with broader types of participants (potentially more skeptical) to assess the potential of deliberation and other structured interventions in generating sustained belief and behavioural change around inequalities. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, perceptions, social dialogue, Colombia |
| JEL: | D63 D91 I31 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000089:021809 |
| By: | Maryam Fazal; Kyohei Yamada (IUJ Research Institute, International University of Japan) |
| Abstract: | This study examines the impact of non-price interventions on the energy conservation behavior of residential consumers in Pakistan. Building upon research on descriptive social norms, we hypothesized that individuals would reduce their electricity use when informed that many others were doing so. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized experiment with 128 participants in Islamabad City. In the first phase, participants completed an online survey and were randomly assigned to receive one of two messages in the survey: one indicating that many residents were increasing electricity use, and the other suggesting that many were conserving. Participants were then asked to report their intention to save electricity. In the second phase, we collected actual electricity usage and billing data. Contrary to our expectation, the group informed that others were increasing their electricity reduced their own consumption by 14%, and paid 18% less in bills, compared to the other group. While inconsistent with previous experimental studies of descriptive social norms, our findings suggest that non-price interventions can promote energy conservation. |
| Keywords: | Electricity; Descriptive social norms; Randomized experiment; Pakistan |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iuj:wpaper:ems_2025_06 |
| By: | James C. Cox; Cary Deck; Laura Razzolini; Vjollca Sadiraj |
| Abstract: | Deviations from choices predicted by self-regarding preferences have regularly been observed in standard dictator games. Such behavior is not inconsistent with conventional preference theory or revealed preference theory, which accommodate other-regarding preferences. By contrast, experiments in which giving nothing is not the least generous feasible act produce data that is inconsistent with conventional preference theory including social preference models and suggest the possible relevance of reference point models. Two such models are the reference-dependent theory of riskless choice with loss aversion and choice monotonicity in moral reference points. Our experiment includes novel treatments designed to challenge both theoretical models of reference dependence and conventional rational choice theory by poking holes in or adding to the dictator's feasible set along with changes to the initial endowment of the players. Our design creates tests that at most one of these models can pass. However, we do not find that any of these models fully capture behavior. In part this result is due to our observing behavior in some treatments that differs from previous experiments for reasons attributable to implementation differences across studies. |
| Keywords: | Rational Choice Theory, Reference Dependence, Behavioral Models, Laboratory Experiments |
| JEL: | C7 C9 D9 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:exc:wpaper:2025-02 |
| By: | Yang, Cathy L. (HEC Paris - Department of Information Systems and Operations Management); Bauer, Kevin (Goethe University Frankfurt; Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE); Li, Xitong (HEC Paris); Hinz, Oliver (Goethe University Frankfurt - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | Amid ongoing policy and managerial debates on keeping humans in the loop of AI decision-making processes, we investigate whether human involvement in AI-based service production benefits downstream consumers. Partnering with a large savings bank in Europe, we produced pure AI and human-AI collaborative investment advice, which we passed to the bank customers and investigated the degree of their advice-taking in a field experiment. On the production side, contrary to concerns that humans might inefficiently override AI output, our findings show that having a human banker in the loop of AIbased financial advisory by giving her the final say over the advice provided does not compromise the quality of the advice. More importantly, on the consumption side, we find that the bank customers are more likely to align their final investment decisions with advice from the human-AI collaboration, compared to pure AI, especially when facing more risky investments. In our setting, this increased reliance on human-AI collaborative advice leads to higher material welfare for consumers. Additional analyses from the field experiment along with an online controlled experiment indicate that the persuasive efficacy of human-AI collaborative advice cannot be attributed to consumers' belief in increased advice quality resulting from complementarities between human and AI capabilities. Instead, the consumption-side benefits of human involvement in the AI-based service largely stem from human involvement serving as a peripheral cue that enhances the affective appeal of the advice. Our findings indicate that regulations and guidelines should adopt a consumer-centric approach by fostering environments where human capabilities and AI systems can synergize effectively to benefit consumers while safeguarding consumer welfare. These nuanced insights are crucial for managers who face decisions about offering pure AI versus human-AI collaborative services and also for regulators advocating for having humans in the loop. |
| Keywords: | Human intervention; human-in-the-loop; human-AI collaboration; algorithmic aversion; social influence |
| JEL: | O30 |
| Date: | 2025–06–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:heccah:1570 |
| By: | Gwen-Jiro Clochard; Shubham Dey; Shusaku Sasaki; Taisuke Imai |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the first quantitative meta-analysis of the price elasticity of charitable giving under both rebate and matching schemes. We compile 151 elasticity estimates from 33 experimental studies and synthesize them using random-effects and multi-level models. Charitable giving is highly price-responsive: the pooled meta-analytic mean elasticity of total donations is -1.25, indicating that lowering the effective price of giving substantially increases charitable revenue. Although we observe considerable between-study heterogeneity and some evidence of publication bias, bias-adjusted estimates remain negative. Furthermore, elasticity is substantially more negative under matching (-1.98) than under rebate (-0.87), contradicting the theoretical prediction of equivalence but aligning with the original experimental findings in this literature. The rebate-matching difference is attenuated when moving from laboratory to field settings, although it persists. |
| Keywords: | charitable giving, rebate, matching, experiment, meta-analysis |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12310 |
| By: | Rao, Xudong; Wang, Xingguo; Turvey, Calum G.; Zhang, Yuehua |
| Keywords: | Livestock Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty, Farm Management |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343709 |
| By: | Nie, Jingchun; Liu, Han; Reheman, Zulihumar; Shi, Yaojiang |
| Keywords: | Public Economics, Health Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343608 |
| By: | Lepinteur, Anthony (University of Luxembourg); Powdthavee, Nattavudh (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) |
| Abstract: | People often misjudge what others need to live well. We introduce and measure well-being norms - the income people believe others require for a good life - and show that these beliefs are systematically underestimated. In a preregistered U.S. survey, 85–86% of respondents reported thresholds below what others say they themselves need. Two randomized survey experiments corrected these misperceptions. Respondents updated their beliefs considerably, yet support for redistribution and donation behavior remained unchanged. This null average effect, however, masks substantial heterogeneity. Among those who found the information credible and personally relevant, we observe redistribution support increasing by approximately 20% of a standard deviation, especially when the information referred to low-income families rather than the average American. Among those who dismissed it, we observe support decreasing by similar magnitudes - a pattern consistent with motivated reasoning and backlash. The main insight is that belief updating alone does not, on average, change policy preferences. Information influences redistribution attitudes only when perceived as morally important and legitimate. |
| Keywords: | information treatments, beliefs, inequality, keyword2, keyword1, redistribution preferences, income, subjective well-being |
| JEL: | D31 D63 H23 H24 I31 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18296 |
| By: | Jeannie Annan (International Rescue Committee); Estelle Koussoubé (World Bank); Joséphine Tassy (World Bank); Léa Rouanet (World Bank); Clara Delavallade (World Bank); David K. Evans (Center for Global Development) |
| Abstract: | Despite evidence of positive returns, many youth training programs in Sub-Saharan Africa have low take-up. Behavioral interventions, or nudges, have been proposed as low-cost tools to influence such decisions. This study reports on a randomized experiment in Côte d’Ivoire testing a behavioral nudge—varying the content and recipient of text message reminders—to increase enrollment in a youth employment program. We compare two framings—highlighting the free cost of the program versus the long-term career benefits—sent either to youth alone or to both youth and their nominated social contacts. Messages sent to youth alone have no impact. In contrast, targeting both youth and contacts significantly affects enrollment, with gendered effects: among young men, both messages reduce enrollment, while among young women, enrollment decreases when the message highlights free cost. These impacts are driven by youth with male contacts. Qualitative data suggest that trust and perceived program quality shape responsiveness, particularly among those unfamiliar with the program. The findings underscore how message framing and social context influence program take-up, and how misaligned messaging can discourage participation. |
| Keywords: | O15, J16, J24, D83 |
| Date: | 2025–12–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cgd:wpaper:737 |
| By: | Elacqua, Gregory; Kutscher, Macarena; Nascimento, Danielle; Dias, Isabella; Margitic, Juan Francisco |
| Abstract: | Despite improvements in access to information, digital platforms, and centralized school admission systems, many parents continue to choose seemingly lower-quality schools, often prioritizing proximity over academic performance. We examine the role of information provision in this context through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) within the centralized admission platform of Recife, Brazil testing whether personalized school recommendations influence parental choice. Specifically, we implemented two treatment arms: one offering recommendations that ranked schools by quality within a defined distance (quality treatment), and another ranking schools solely by proximity (distance treatment). While the overall impact of the treatments was limited, we do find meaningful positive effects among users who actively engaged (”compliers”) with the recommendations (1424% of families). Compliers in the quality treatment were more likely to select higher-performing schools, particularly among first-grade applicants and families without strong prior preferences. These findings underscore both the promise of digital nudges in improving school choices and the challenges of deploying such tools in recently centralized systems, where many families enter with preset preferences and limited familiarity with the process. |
| Keywords: | school choice;Information Provision;Digital Nudges;Randomized Controlled Trials;Centralized Admission Systems;Parental School Choice Behavior;Digital Nudges and Engagement;Challenges in Centralized Admission;Decision.making;Education, childhood, equality |
| JEL: | I21 I24 I28 D83 C93 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14420 |
| By: | Collis, Manuela R. (University of Toronto); Van Effenterre, Clémentine (University of Toronto) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how much individuals value a workplace that doesn't tolerate hostility, and how these preferences affect sorting in the labor market. We conduct a choice experiment involving 2, 048 participants recruited from recent graduates and alumni from a large public university. Our results show that individuals are willing to forgo a significant portion of their earnings—between 12 and 36 percent of their wage—to avoid hostile work environments, valuations substantially exceeding those for remote work (7 percent). Women exhibit a stronger aversion to exclusionary workplaces and environments with sexual harassment. Combining survey evidence, experimental variations of workplace environments, and individual labor market outcomes, we show that both disutility from workplace hostility and perceptions of risk contribute to gender gaps in early-career choices and in pay. To quantify equilibrium implications, we develop a model of compensating differentials calibrated to our experimental estimates. Using counterfactual exercises, we find that gender differences in risk of workplace hostility drive both the remote pay penalty and office workers' rents. |
| Keywords: | compensating differentials, workplace hostility, gender |
| JEL: | J16 J24 J31 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18302 |
| By: | Qin Wu; Ralph-C Bayer |
| Abstract: | Contest participants often have strong incentives to engage in cheating. Sanctions serve as a common deterrent against such conduct. Often, other agents on the contestant's team (e.g., a coach of an athlete) or a company (a manager of an R\&D engineer) have a vested interest in outcomes and can influence the cheating decision. An agency problem arises when only the contestant faces the penalties for cheating. Our theoretical framework examines joint liability, i.e., shifting some responsibility from the contestant to the other agent, as a solution to this agency problem. Equilibrium analysis shows that extending liability reduces cheating if fines are harsh. Less intuitively, when fines are lenient, a shift in liability can lead to an increase in equilibrium cheating rates. Experimental tests confirm that joint liability is effective in reducing cheating if fines are high. However, the predicted detrimental effect of joint liability for low fines does not occur. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.21090 |
| By: | David Almog |
| Abstract: | Concerns about how workers are perceived can deter effective collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI). In a field experiment on a large online labor market, I hired 450 U.S.-based remote workers to complete an image-categorization job assisted by AI recommendations. Workers were incentivized by the prospect of a contract extension based on an HR evaluator's feedback. I find that workers adopt AI recommendations at lower rates when their reliance on AI is visible to the evaluator, resulting in a measurable decline in task performance. The effects are present despite a conservative design in which workers know that the evaluator is explicitly instructed to assess expected accuracy on the same AI-assisted task. This reduction in AI reliance persists even when the evaluator is reassured about workers' strong performance history on the platform, underscoring how difficult these concerns are to alleviate. Leveraging the platform's public feedback feature, I introduce a novel incentive-compatible elicitation method showing that workers fear heavy reliance on AI signals a lack of confidence in their own judgment, a trait they view as essential when collaborating with AI. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.18582 |
| By: | Jiang, Qi; Penn, Jerrod; Hu, Wuyang |
| Keywords: | Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343917 |
| By: | Akresh, Richard; Walque, Damien de; Kazianga, Harounan; Stocker, Abigail |
| Abstract: | Cash transfers are a cornerstone of social protection. This paper evaluates an integrated program in Burkina Faso that combines cash transfers with parenting interventions delivered through group meetings or home visits. In a randomized experiment across 225 villages, households received cash alone; cash plus information on child health and development; or cash, information, and home visits reinforcing the information. Fifteen months after treatment ended, households receiving all three components had fewer pregnancies, more medically assisted births, improved health behaviors, and better educational outcomes. Adding home visits is essential for enhancing child development. Cash alone or with information produces no lasting effects. |
| Date: | 2025–12–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11270 |
| By: | Du, Qianqian; Mieno, Taro; Bullock, David S. |
| Keywords: | Production Economics, Research Methods/Statistical Methods, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:344051 |
| By: | Aapo Hiilamo (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Moritz Oberndorfer |
| Abstract: | A randomized trial of a partial basic income scheme for the population in unemployment in Finland was conducted in 2017–2018. No studies to date that we are aware of have investigated to what extent the effects of the trial on self-reported mental health were heterogeneous. This is an important question for understanding the implications of basic income schemes for the distribution of mental health in a population. We studied effect heterogeneity using data from a survey conducted at the end of the two-year experiment with a response rate of 20% (intervention n=569, control n=1028). Mental health was measured by the MHI-5 five-item instrument. We considered effect heterogeneity across potential indicators of labor market disadvantages, including age, gender, education, prior employment status, household size, and family type. Participants in the intervention group had moderately better mental health compared with those in the control group (adjusted risk difference for poor mental health -0.08 [95%CI: -0.12; -0.03]). Multilevel modelling and causal forest showed no evidence for heterogenous effects on mental health. Our results suggest that basic incomes schemes have no harmful effects on mental health across multiple potential axes of labor market disadvantage, and are unlikely to increase mental health inequalities among people in unemployment. |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2025-035 |
| By: | Kengo IGEI; Makiko NAKAMURO; Tomoya MURAKAWA; Quang Chien LE |
| Abstract: | This study estimates the causal impact of deploying part-time subject-specialist teachers in elementary schools on students’ academic outcomes, drawing on a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In schools randomly assigned to receive part-time science specialists, students’ science achievement increased by 0.153–0.162 standard deviations (SD), which is a relatively large effect compared to many other educational interventions such as class size reduction. Moreover, mathematics achievement improved by 0.101–0.108 SD, while Japanese language achievement remained unaffected. In contrast, the deployment of part-time mathematics specialists had no statistically significant effect on student performance. There is no evidence that the introduction of part-time subject-specialists altered teachers’ classroom preparation time for other subjects. Science is a subject that demands a high level of content expertise, and prior studies indicate that as teachers gain more experience, their anxiety in teaching science decreases, while their self-efficacy increases. Given that the assigned specialists were relatively older and experienced part-time teachers, the results suggest that leveraging their expertise and confidence may have contributed to the observed academic gains. The findings highlight the potential of strategically utilizing experienced specialist teachers to improve science education in the upper grades of elementary school. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:25111 |
| By: | Kengo IGEI; Makiko NAKAMURO; Tomoya MURAKAWA; Quang Chien LE |
| Abstract: | This study estimates the causal impact of deploying part-time subject-specialist teachers in elementary schools on students’ academic outcomes, drawing on a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In schools randomly assigned to receive part-time science specialists, students’ science achievement increased by 0.153–0.162 standard deviations (SD), which is a relatively large effect compared to many other educational interventions such as class size reduction. Moreover, mathematics achievement improved by 0.101–0.108 SD, while Japanese language achievement remained unaffected. In contrast, the deployment of part-time mathematics specialists had no statistically significant effect on student performance. There is no evidence that the introduction of part-time subject-specialists altered teachers’ classroom preparation time for other subjects. Science is a subject that demands a high level of content expertise, and prior studies indicate that as teachers gain more experience, their anxiety in teaching science decreases, while their self-efficacy increases. Given that the assigned specialists were relatively older and experienced part-time teachers, the results suggest that leveraging their expertise and confidence may have contributed to the observed academic gains. The findings highlight the potential of strategically utilizing experienced specialist teachers to improve science education in the upper grades of elementary school. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:rdpsjp:25029 |
| By: | Rustamdjan Hakimov; Manshu Khanna |
| Abstract: | Many assignment systems require applicants to rank multi-attribute bundles (e.g., programs combining institution, major, and tuition). We study whether this reporting task is inherently difficult and how reporting interfaces affect accuracy and welfare. In laboratory experiments, we induce preferences over programs via utility over attributes, generating lexicographic, separable, or complementary preferences. We compare three reporting interfaces for the direct serial dictatorship mechanism: (i) a full ranking over programs; (ii) a lexicographic-nesting interface; and (iii) a weighted-attributes interface, the latter two eliciting rankings over attributes rather than programs. We also study the sequential serial dictatorship mechanism that is obviously strategy-proof and simplifies reporting by asking for a single choice at each step. Finally, we run a baseline that elicits a full ranking over programs but rewards pure accuracy rather than allocation outcomes. Four main findings emerge. First, substantial misreporting occurs even in the pure-accuracy baseline and increases with preference complexity. Second, serial dictatorship induces additional mistakes consistent with misperceived incentives. Third, simplified interfaces for the direct serial dictatorship fail to improve (and sometimes reduce) accuracy, even when they match the preference structure. Fourth, sequential choice achieves the highest accuracy while improving efficiency and reducing justified envy. These findings caution against restricted reporting languages and favor sequential choice when ranking burdens are salient. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.22834 |
| By: | Fuente, David (University of South Carolina and Environment for Development-Kenya); Mulwa, Richard (Environment for Development-Kenya and University of Nairobi); Mwaura, Mbutu (Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company); Gitu, Josiah (Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company); Cook, Joseph (Environment for Development-Kenya and Washington State University) |
| Abstract: | Energy and water utilities need financial resources to maintain existing infrastructure, increase in capacity to meet growing demand, meet environmental regulations, and invest in climate resilience. Considerable attention has been paid to innovative means of financing the transition to universal access to water and sanitation services and the global transition to a clean energy future. This paper examines the foundation of utility finance – customer bill payment. We partner with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to test the impact of an unconditional arrears forgiveness program on customer bill payment behavior. To our knowledge, this is the first study to experimentally test the impact of an arrears management program. We find that providing customers unconditional arrears forgiveness was not effective at improving customer bill payment and, in fact, made bill payment worse in the short run. Customers in our treatment group were less likely to make a payment towards their bill, less likely to pay their full bill on time, and accumulated more arrears over the six months following our intervention than untreated households. Our results suggest that one-off debt amnesty may inadvertently reduce compliance, and that utilities should consider conditional or alternative assistance measures. |
| Keywords: | Water; sanitation; utility policy; RCT; arrears; bill payment |
| JEL: | C93 |
| Date: | 2025–12–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunefd:2025_012 |
| By: | Hang Wu; Qin Wu; Yue Liu; Mengmeng Shi |
| Abstract: | The rapid expansion of digital commerce platforms has amplified the strategic importance of coordinated pricing and inventory management decisions among competing retailers. Motivated by practices on leading e-commerce platforms, we analyze a sequential duopolistic newsvendor game where retailers first publicly set prices and subsequently make private inventory decisions under demand uncertainty. Our theory predicts that higher profit margins and demand uncertainty intensify price competition, while optimal inventory responses to demand uncertainty are shaped by profit margins. Laboratory evidence, however, reveals that participants are generally reluctant to compete on price, frequently coordinating on salient focal (reserve) prices, particularly in low-margin settings, and show little sensitivity to demand uncertainty in pricing. On the inventory side, participants' order quantities are largely insensitive to chosen prices and continue to exhibit well-documented Pull-to-Center biases. These findings reveal a disconnect between pricing and inventory decisions under competition and highlight the importance of accounting for persistent behavioral tendencies in retail operations. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2512.00994 |
| By: | Lemken, Dominic; Simonetti, Aline; Heinke, Gloria; Estevez, Ana |
| Keywords: | Marketing, Consumer/Household Economics |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343537 |
| By: | Daniela Del Boca; Luca Favaro; Chiara Pronzato |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effects of "Equilibri" a program designed to support mothers of children under 18 in Italy’s Piedmont region. The program is specifically aimed to help women who have reduced or stopped working due to motherhood to achieve better work-life balance by improving both employment and work-family outcomes. The evaluation, conducted via randomized control trial, shows positive impacts on employment and work-family balance. Women in the treatment group participated in professional courses, informal meetings, reconciliation support and extracurricular activities for their children. According to the results of our evaluation the program had a positive impact on mothers’ employment, work-life balance as well as children well-being. Furthermore, a greater proportion of women in the treatment group expressed a desire to have another child. |
| Keywords: | work, mothers, randomized control trial |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12309 |
| By: | David Raitzer (Asian Development Bank); Rita Abdel Sater (Agence Française de Développement); Odbayar Batmunkh (Asian Development Bank); Julia Girard (Agence Française de Développement); Lennart Reiners (Asian Development Bank); Amir Jilani (Asian Development Bank) |
| Abstract: | We present the findings of a pilot that randomized provision of structured electronic food vouchers to poor households in the Philippines, which was designed to inform a new national food voucher program. The study utilized a matched pair cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of vouchers plus nutrition education sessions. It involved 4, 883 poor households across five provinces, randomly assigned to the control group or to receive nutrition education and monthly electronic food vouchers worth PHP3, 000 ($55) with pre-allocated shares for different food groups. After 6 months, statistically significant improvements are found in household food expenditure, dietary diversity, and food security, although the dietary and food security effects are modest on average. Food expenditure responses to voucher allocations are strongest for proteins and for fruits and vegetables, whereas the carbohydrate allocations are more fungible. Notably, dietary effects are more pronounced in highly urban areas, in households enrolled in an existing conditional cash transfer program, in those with better nutrition knowledge at baseline, in smaller-sized households, and in those that had more recently redeemed the voucher. This suggests that effectiveness could be enhanced by adjusting voucher allocation ratios towards underconsumed food groups, increasing the voucher amount, increasing redemption frequency, and improving nutrition education. |
| Keywords: | food assistance;electronic food vouchers;nutrition;social protection |
| JEL: | I12 I18 H23 I38 |
| Date: | 2025–12–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:021825 |
| By: | Abigail Barr (University of Nottingham); Uzma Afzal (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)); Daniele Nosenzo (Aarhus University) |
| Abstract: | We present three lab-in-the-field studies investigating systematic heterogeneity in cooperative decision-making across spouses in arranged and love-matched marriages in Pakistan, where the former is the tradition and the latter is associated with modernization. In Study 1, we engaged married couples in a one-shot, two-person, sequential public goods game, in which we applied the strategy method to the second mover. Using hierarchical clustering to analyze the strategy data, we categorized spouses into cooperative types and found that spouses in love-matched marriages are significantly more likely to be unconditionally cooperative. Spouses in love-matched marriages are also significantly more cooperative overall. In Study 2, we replicated our findings from Study 1 in a new sample of villages similarly close to a city but found that, as distance from the city increased, the love-matched effect declined. We interpreted this as suggestive evidence that there is less tolerance and support for love matches in more remote areas. In Study 2, by also engaging the spouses in games with neighbors, we established that the observed differences in cooperation between spouses in love-matched versus arranged marriages could not be explained by the selection of unconditionally cooperative people into love-matched marriages. Finally, in Study 3, we confirmed that there is indeed a social norm prescribing arranged marriage and that this norm is stronger in more remote villages. |
| Keywords: | Creativity; Associative Thinking; Methodology |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:not:notcdx:2025-02 |
| By: | Irving Argaez Corona (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Béatrice Boulu-Reshef (THEMA - Théorie économique, modélisation et applications - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CY - CY Cergy Paris Université); Jean-Christophe Vergnaud (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) |
| Abstract: | The relationship between dishonesty and social closeness has garnered increasing attention from scholars. While the literature has long evidenced that social closeness increases cooperation, recent work suggests it may also enable cheating behaviour through in-group justification. We study this relationship in an online Die-under-the-cup task (DUTC), asking whether misreporting outcomes increases when participants are paired with socially close rather than socially distant counterparts. We recruited 288 participants and implemented two treatments that made social closeness salient along socioeconomic status (T1) and political alignment (T2). We modelled closeness objectively (living in localities with comparable socioeconomic levels and administered by the same political party), as well as subjectively (self-reported personal income and political preferences matching locality averages). Across pooled and treatment-specific analyses, we find little evidence that social closeness systematically increases misreporting in the DUTC, as differences in reported payoffs are small and sensitive to specification. While objective distance shows weak and non-robust associations with behaviour, subjective measures of closeness are consistently non-significant. Furthermore, we also examine whether being observed by a socially close counterpart amplifies misreports and do not detect a reliable effect, aside from isolated, non-generalisable patterns. Our results suggest that any relationship between social closeness and cheating behaviour in the DUTC is limited and contextdependent. Our findings underscore the importance of multi-method measurement when evaluating how social closeness relates to strategic decision-making. |
| Abstract: | La relation entre malhonnêteté et proximité sociale suscite un intérêt croissant parmi les chercheurs. Si la littérature montre depuis longtemps que la proximité sociale favorise la coopération, des travaux récents suggèrent qu'elle peut également faciliter des comportements non éthiques via des formes de justification intra-groupe. Nous étudions cette relation à l'aide d'une tâche virtuelle de « Die-under-the-cup, DUTC », en nous demandant si la triche augmente lorsque les participants sont appariés à des homologues socialement proches plutôt que socialement éloignés. Nous avons recruté 288 participants et mis en place deux traitements rendant saillante la proximité sociale selon le statut socio-économique (T1) et l'alignement politique (T2). Nous avons modélisé la proximité de manière objective (résider dans des localités de niveau socio-économique comparable et administrées par le même parti politique), ainsi que de manière subjective (revenu personnel autodéclaré et préférences politiques en adéquation avec les moyennes de la localité). Dans l'ensemble des analyses, qu'elles soient regroupées ou spécifiques à chaque traitement, nous trouvons peu d'éléments indiquant que la proximité sociale augmente systématiquement la tricherie : les différences de gains déclarés sont faibles et sensibles aux spécifications retenues. Alors que la distance objective présente des associations faibles et peu robustes avec le comportement, les mesures subjectives de proximité ne sont jamais significatives. Nous examinons également si le fait d'être observé par un pair socialement proche amplifie la tricherie et ne détectons pas d'effet robuste, hormis quelques schémas isolés et non généralisables. Nos résultats suggèrent que la relation entre proximité sociale et comportement malhonnête dans la DUTC est limitée et dépend fortement du contexte. Ils soulignent l'importance de recourir à des mesures multiméthodes pour évaluer la manière dont la proximité sociale se rattache à la prise de décision stratégique. |
| Keywords: | Socioeconomic status, Political preferences, observability, Social closeness, Cheating behavior |
| Date: | 2024–11–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-05386224 |
| By: | Rodier, Caroline PhD; Zhang, Yunwan; Harold, Brian S.; Drake, Christina PhD |
| Abstract: | People with low incomes often face difficulties traveling because of a dearth of affordable and reliable transportation modes, and this has profound quality-of-life implications. In this longitudinal partial randomized controlled trial of universal basic mobility wallets, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) provided nearly 1, 000 residents with prepaid debit cards loaded with $150 in transportation funds per month for 12 months beginning in May 2023. These could be used to pay for local and regional transit, carsharing, car rentals, ridehailing, bicycle/scooter sharing, and merchandise purchased at local bicycle shops. Analysis of surveys before and during the pilot showed a significant increase in transportation security (p |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mobility, Travel behavior, Accessibility, Shared mobility, Pilot studies, Surveys, Transportation Equity |
| Date: | 2025–12–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7rc1x58z |
| By: | Dhiraj Jagadale; Kavita Vemuri |
| Abstract: | Mutual trust is a key determinant of decision-making in economic interactions, yet actual behavior often diverges from equilibrium predictions. This study investigates how emotional arousal, indexed by skin conductance responses, SCR, relates to trust behavior in a modified centipede game. To examine the impact of uncertainty, the game incorporated both fixed and random termination conditions. SCRs were recorded alongside self-reported measures of mutual and general trust and individual risk-taking propensity. Phasic SCRs were significantly higher under random termination, particularly following the opponent take actions, indicating increased emotional arousal under uncertainty. Mutual trust scores correlated positively with risk propensity but not with general trust. Behaviorally, higher mutual trust was associated with extended cooperative play, but only in the fixed-turn condition. These findings suggest that physiological arousal reflects emotional engagement in trust-related decisions and that uncertainty amplifies both arousal and strategic caution. Mutual trust appears context-dependent, shaped by emotional and physiological states that influence deviations from equilibrium behavior. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.18738 |
| By: | Le, Loan T. (School of Economics, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam); Tran, Luan D. (Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam); Phung, Trieu N. (An Giang University, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) |
| Abstract: | This research investigates the empirical effects of the laser land leveling (LLL) adoption on irrigation water and water efficiency in paddy production in the Mekong Delta region (MDR), using the randomized controlled trial (RCT) approach incorporated into input demand function models. The descriptive analysis highlights the potential for water reuse through farmers' drainage practices. However, the dependence on experiential methods for applying technology in paddy production poses challenges that could compromise long-term sustainability. The regression results indicate that the LLL treatment leads to savings of 1, 975 m3 ha-1 and 1, 299.35 m3 ha-1 in irrigation water and net water use in paddy production, respectively, compared to the control. These savings account for 20.52% of total irrigation water use and 28.64% of net water use. The projected savings on average of 375.51 and 247.05 million m³ respectively for irrigation water and net water use with 5% implementation of the technology in the MDR. The research highlights the environmental benefits of the LLL technology and underscores the need for its promotion to achieve water conservation in paddy production, offering policymakers insights to enhance sustainable agriculture amid climate change and water scarcity. The study addresses significant gaps in existing literature by providing an in-depth analysis of LLL technology's impact on irrigation water and efficiency by extending the drainage performance within the paddy mono-cropping context and employing RCT methodology combined with input demand function models to comprehensively evaluate its impact on irrigation water usage. |
| Keywords: | Precision Agriculture; Water Demand Modeling; Drainage Performance; Water Efficiency; Randomized Controlled Trials; Sustainability |
| JEL: | Q15 |
| Date: | 2025–05–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunefd:2025_005 |
| By: | Alem, Yonas (University of Gothenburg and Jameel Poverty Action Lab - J-PAL,); Schürz, Simon (Federal Statistical Office of Germany) |
| Abstract: | Spouses not matched in preference and decision-making power may make inefficient household decisions that may have long-term implications. In this paper, we conduct a series of lab-in-the-field experiments with parents to test whether mothers avoid bargaining with their more powerful spouses, thereby sacrificing the ability to finance expensive educational inputs through income pooling. We asked mothers and fathers to allocate money between a cash payout and a voucher double the value of the cash payout for children’s school materials, either individually or jointly with their spouse. We randomly varied how much couples could gain by deciding jointly on the allocation. We find that parents strategically react to higher levels of the treatment by cooperating more, but mothers in particular are more likely to avoid bargaining and sacrifice voucher value. We show that these results are driven by mothers with low empowerment, who believe their spouses disagree with their preferred allocations. After the redemption of the voucher for school materials, children of noncooperative parents achieve significantly lower test scores, suggesting a negative intergenerational externality of parents’ decisions. |
| Keywords: | intra-household decision-making; gender; educational investments; income pooling |
| JEL: | D13 D14 O12 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–10–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunefd:2025_008 |
| By: | Jeff Murugan |
| Abstract: | Information transmitted across modern communication platforms is degraded not only by intentional manipulation (disinformation) but also by intrinsic cognitive decay and topology-dependent social averaging (misinformation). We develop a continuous-fidelity field theory on multiplex networks with distinct layers representing private chats, group interactions, and broadcast channels. Our analytic solutions reveal three universal mechanisms controlling information quality: (i) groupthink blending, where dense group coupling drives fidelity to the initial group mean; (ii) bridge-node bottlenecks, where cross-community flow produces irreversible dilution; and (iii) a network-wide fidelity landscape set by a competition between broadcast truth-injection and structural degradation pathways. These results demonstrate that connectivity can reduce information integrity and establish quantitative control strategies to enhance fidelity in large-scale communication systems. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.18733 |