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on Experimental Economics |
| By: | Tabaré Capitán |
| Abstract: | Evaluation of "Does online fundraising increase charitable giving? A nationwide field experiment on Facebook" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:e1fundraisingcharitablegivingcapitan |
| By: | David Reiley |
| Abstract: | Evaluation of "Does online fundraising increase charitable giving? A nationwide field experiment on Facebook" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:e2fundraisingcharitablegivingreiley |
| By: | David Reiley; Anirudh Tagat; Tabaré Capitán |
| Abstract: | Evaluation Summary and Metrics: ""Does online fundraising increase charitable giving? A nationwide field experiment on Facebook"" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:evalsumfundraisingcharitablegiving |
| By: | Christopher W. Gardiner (Universität Hamburg); Eva Markowsky (Universität Potsdam, CEPA) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses a crucial aspect of the gender gap in competitive behaviour: performance under competitive pressure. We rely on existing experimental evidence to test the prevalent hypothesis that women ’choke’ under pressure while men increase their performance in high-pressure environments. To this aim, we combine the evidence of 70 experimental studies reporting 237 effect sizes that contrast gender differences in performance in various real-effort tasks in non-competitive and competitive settings. Contrary to prevalent belief, the gender gap in performance does not systematically increase under competitive pressure. |
| Keywords: | competitiveness, performance, experiments, gender, meta-analysis |
| JEL: | J16 D91 C9 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pot:cepadp:94 |
| By: | Christina Timko; Maja Adena (WZB Berlin & TU Berlin) |
| Abstract: | Behavioral design in smartphone apps aims at inducing certain, monetizable behavior, mainly increased engagement, measurable by usage time. Such design is rarely transparent and often restricts users’ ability to make alternative choices. In a framed field experiment, we document that behavioral design doubles app usage time compared to a version without behavioral elements. Providing users with choices—simply explained and conveniently adjustable design features—reduces usage time and increases their willingness to pay for the app. These findings suggest that offering choice could pave the way for new business models based on more responsible app design. |
| Keywords: | smartphone app; behavioral control; filtering algorithm; transparency and choice; self-determination; corporate social responsibility; field experiment; |
| JEL: | C93 O33 D83 L86 M14 |
| Date: | 2026–01–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:559 |
| By: | Georgalos, Konstantinos; Gonçalves, Ricardo; Ray, Indrajit; SenGupta, Sonali |
| Abstract: | This paper reports results from a laboratory experiment on a continuous Japanese-English auction in a common-value 'wallet game'. The main objective is to test whether bidders follow the equilibrium bidding strategy predicted by theory. We find systematic deviations from equilibrium behaviour: instead of bidding according to the Nash equilibrium, subjects appear to rely on expected value (EV) bidding. As a consequence, observed auction prices are higher than the theoretical benchmark, and the winner's curse occurs in a substantial fraction of auctions. We analyse bidding behaviour in detail and discuss the implications of our findings. |
| Keywords: | Japanese-English auction (JEA), Wallet game, Continuous bids, Winner’s curse, Expected value bidding |
| JEL: | C72 C91 C92 D63 D83 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:qmsrps:202601 |
| By: | Shuhei Kitamura; Ryo Takahashi; Katsunori Yamada |
| Abstract: | Electoral accountability is a cornerstone of democratic governance, yet whether voters effectively punish corruption remains theoretically and empirically contested. While canonical models predict that corruption revelations reduce incumbent support, strategic voting considerations—especially beliefs about others’ behavior—can yield ambiguous accountability outcomes. We exploit a major corruption scandal involving Japan’s ruling party during a national election to examine how social information shapes electoral responses to misconduct. In a pre-registered field experiment, we randomly provided voters with information about prevailing social norms of intolerance toward the scandal. This intervention significantly increased overall turnout and challenger support, particularly among swing voters, consistent with enhanced accountability. Yet the same treatment increased incumbent support among ruling-party loyalists. We show that these heterogeneous effects are systematically driven by voters’ prior beliefs about others’ voting intentions: those expecting others to punish sanctioned more when learning they would not, whereas those expecting tolerance defended more when learning others would punish. These findings reconcile conflicting evidence on electoral accountability by showing how strategic considerations fundamentally shape democratic sanctioning, and suggest that information campaigns can either strengthen or undermine accountability depending on the distribution of voter expectations, with important implications for anti-corruption interventions. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1289r |
| By: | Tomohito Aoyama; Nobuyuki Hanaki |
| Abstract: | The random incentive system (RIS) is a standard incentive scheme used to elicit preferences in economic experiments. However, it has been shown that RIS may distort observed preferences. We examine the performance of RIS under ambiguity with two sets of experiments, our own and another replicating the main treatments of Baillon et al. (2022a). Contrary to Baillon et al. (2022a), who report a significantly lower proportion of participants revealing strict ambiguity aversion in the treatment with RIS than the one without, we do not find such evidence either in our own or in replication of Baillon et al. (2022a). |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1236rr |
| By: | John Duffy; Nobuyuki Hanaki; Donghoon Yoo |
| Abstract: | We experimentally evaluate three behavioral models of expectation formation that predict overreaction to new information: overconfidence in private signals, misperceptions about the persistence of the data-generating process (DGP), and diagnostic expectations. In our main experiment, participants repeatedly forecast the contemporaneous and one-step-ahead values of a random variable. They are incentivized for accuracy, informed of the exact DGP and its past history, and provided with noisy signals about the unobserved contemporaneous value. One treatment features a persistent AR(1) process, while another has no persistence. We also report on an experiment with no noisy signals. At the individual level, we find systematic overreaction even when the DGP is not persistent and regardless of whether a signal-extraction problem is present. By contrast, consensus (mean) forecasts exhibit underreaciton, consistent with evidence from other studies. Overall, our results indicate that misperceptions about persistence provide the most compelling explanation for the observed patterns of expectation formation. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1293 |
| By: | Kazunori Yakushiji; Jieyi Duan; Nobuyuki Hanaki |
| Abstract: | We examine the robustness of the results of the three main treatments of the debt aversion experiment by Mart´ınez-Marquina and Shi (2024). While the original experiment is conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk, we employ student participants. While participants in our experiment choose returnmaximizing strategies much more frequently than those in Mart´ınez-Marquina and Shi (2024), our findings corroborate their observations that participants burdened with debt tend to forego the “certain and maximum profit investment opportunity” in favor of prioritizing debt repayment. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1269rr |
| By: | Kazunori Yakushiji; Jieyi Duan; Nobuyuki Hanaki |
| Abstract: | We conduct a replication experiment of the three main treatments of the debt aversion experiment by Mart´ınez-Marquina and Shi (2024) with student participants. While participants in our experiment choose returnmaximizing strategies much more frequently than those in Mart´ınez-Marquina and Shi (2024), our findings corroborate their observations that participants burdened with debt tend to forego the “certain and maximum profit investment opportunity” in favor of prioritizing debt repayment. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1269r |
| By: | Eleanor Tsai; Sarah A. Reynolds; Evaluator 1 |
| Abstract: | Evaluation Summary and Metrics: "Maternal cash transfers for gender equity and child development: Experimental evidence from India" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:evalsummaternalcashtransfers |
| By: | Eleanor Tsai |
| Abstract: | Evaluation of "Maternal cash transfers for gender equity and child development: Experimental evidence from India" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:e2maternalcashtransfers |
| By: | Wanxin Dong (School of Finance, Renmin University of China); Jiakun Zheng (Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, AMSE, Marseille, France) |
| Abstract: | Prior work finds that individuals are often less prosocial when they can exploit uncertainty as an excuse. In contrast to prior work that largely explores the relevance of excuses in the gain domain, this paper investigates the relevance of excuses in both the loss and gain domains. In our laboratory experiment, participants evaluated risky payoffs for themselves and their partners in either the gain or loss domain, with or without interpersonal trade-offs. We found that participants exhibited excuse-driven risk behaviors in both domains. We also documented significant individual heterogeneity in the degree of excuses, influenced by factors such as individuals’ risk preferences, beliefs about others’ risk preferences, and the size of the risk.We present a self-signaling model that incorporates self-image concerns to explain our experimental findings. We show that excuse-driven risk behavior arises because people misattribute their selfish behavior to risk preferences rather than a reduced level of altruism. |
| Keywords: | Prosocial behavior, Risk preferences, Self-image, Misattribution, Experiment |
| JEL: | D71 D80 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aim:wpaimx:2522 |
| By: | Fuchs, Larissa (affiliation not available); Heinz, Matthias (University of Cologne); Pinger, Pia (University of Cologne); Thon, Max (University of Cologne) |
| Abstract: | We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a leading technology firm to study how highlighting flexibility and career advancement in job advertisements causally affects the applicant pool. Highlighting career advancement increases the number of applications from men for entry-level positions and attracts additional applicants with strong qualifications and a good fit, which in turn leads to more interview invitations. By contrast, highlighting flexibility increases applications from both women and men at the entry level but provides limited evidence of attracting higher-quality or better-fit applicants. A complementary survey experiment among STEM students shows how job advertisements shape beliefs about the firm’s job characteristics and work environment. Overall, our results show that the amenities firms choose to highlight can powerfully influence both the size and characteristics of their applicant pool. |
| Keywords: | gender, job advertisements, field experiments, hiring |
| JEL: | M51 M52 D22 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18310 |
| By: | Zoë B. Cullen; Ester Faia; Elisa Guglielminetti; Ricardo Perez-Truglia; Concetta Rondinelli |
| Abstract: | We present the first large-scale field experiment test of strategic complementarities in firms’ technology adoption. Our experiment was embedded in a Bank of Italy survey covering around 3, 000 firms. We elicited firms’ beliefs about competitors’ adoption of two advanced technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics. We randomly provided half of the sample with accurate information about adoption rates. Most firms substantially underestimated competitors’ current adoption, and when provided with information, they updated their expectations about competitors’ future adoption. The information increased firms’ own intended future adoption of robotics, although we do not observe a significant effect on AI adoption. Our findings provide causal evidence on coordination in innovation and illustrate how information frictions shape technology diffusion. |
| JEL: | C93 D22 L21 O33 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34532 |
| By: | Nicolas Ajzenman (McGill University); Martín Ardanaz (Inter-American Development Bank); Guillermo Cruces (Universidad de San Andrés-CONICET, University of Nottingham); Germán Feierherd (Universidad de San Andrés); Ignacio Lunghi (New York University & CEDLAS-IIE-UNLP) |
| Abstract: | Corruption—and the widespread perception of it—poses significant obstacles to development by eroding institutional trust and reducing citizens’ willingness to pay taxes. Yet, government efforts to improve public perceptions by combating corruption may prove ineffective—or even backfire—when confronted with entrenched pessimistic beliefs. We propose that providing an external benchmark of corruption to shift the reference point before highlighting government actions can mitigate these negative effects. In a survey experiment exploiting an institutional reform within Honduras’ tax agency, we find that messages focusing solely on reform efforts have limited or negative effects. By contrast, a combined message that first corrects pessimistic beliefs and then highlights anti-corruption efforts significantly reduces perceived corruption and tax evasion intentions. A field experiment with approximately 45, 000 taxpayers confirms that this sequencing approach increases actual tax compliance. These findings suggest that belief updating is possible—but only when information is structured to first engage and recalibrate skeptical priors. |
| Keywords: | Corruption, Tax Administration, Tax Evasion, Field Experiment |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sad:wpaper:173 |
| By: | Shusaku Sasaki; Takunori Ishihara; Hirofumi Kurokawa |
| Abstract: | Why are interventions with weak evidence still adopted? We study charitable incentives for physical activity in Japan using three linked methods, including a randomized field experiment (N=808), a stakeholder belief survey (local government officials and private-sector employees, N=2, 400), and a conjoint experiment on policy choice. Financial incentives increase daily steps by about 1, 000, whereas charitable incentives deliver a precisely estimated null. Nonetheless, stakeholders greatly overpredict charitable incentives' effects on walking, participation, and prosociality. Conjoint choices show policymakers value step gains as well as other outcomes, shaping policy choice. Adoption thus reflects multidimensional beliefs and objectives, highlighting policy selection as a scaling challenge. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2512.24852 |
| By: | Tinnefeld, Vicky; Kesternich, Martin; Werthschulte, Madeline |
| Abstract: | Urged by the European Energy Crisis and the threatening consequences of severe natural gas shortages, energy providers launched gas-saving initiatives incorporating financial incentives to reduce residential natural gas consumption. In collaboration with one of Germany's largest energy providers, we conducted a natural field experiment (N = 2, 598) to evaluate the effectiveness of a behaviorally-guided co-design of such a gas-saving initiative by implementing two established behavioral instruments - reminders of gas saving intentions and descriptive norm feedback. Our findings show limited effectiveness of the behavioural instruments during the high-price period. The feedback risks a "boomerang effect" among households with above-average initial savings, who reduce their conservation efforts in response. The reminder does not significantly enhance savings in our main specifications, yet, realizes 1 percentage point savings in alternate models refining for outliers. Potential mechanisms include a significant intention-action gap and misperceived effectiveness of energy-saving actions, which are not alleviated by the reminder. |
| Keywords: | Residential energy savings, energy crisis, behavioral interventions, survey data, field experiment |
| JEL: | C93 D04 D91 Q41 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:333899 |
| By: | Shohei Yamamoto; Shotaro Shiba; Nobuyuki Hanaki |
| Abstract: | Previous research consistently identified differences in time preferences between effort and monetary decisions. However, the root cause of this difference— whether it stemmed from the intrinsic nature of the outcomes or the associated pleasurable or unpleasurable experiences—remained undefined. In response, we conducted novel two-stage experiments employing a 2 2 design contrasting outcomes (money and effort) and domains (gain and loss). This approach allowed for the incentivization of all decisions, including those involving future monetary losses. Our study reveals that while there is no significant difference in present bias between monetary and effort-based choices, the degree of time inconsistency differs significantly, indicating outcome-dependent preferences. Across both experiments, we consistently found no evidence of present bias in any of the four conditions. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1230r |
| By: | Peterson-Wilhelm, Bailey; Schwab, Benjamin; Burrone, Sara |
| Abstract: | List experiments utilize indirect survey questions to reduce social desirability bias in measures of sensitive behaviors and sentiments. While often used to assess retrospective behavior or opinions of respondents, list experiments have not been widely applied to assessing “deep” parameters of economic models, such as willingness to pay. Common stated preference methods of estimating willingness to pay may be impacted by social desirability bias, particularly when a product has been provided to survey recipients for free. List experiments can uncover the share of respondents willing to pay a given price while reducing social desirability bias. Repeating the method at a variety of prices recovers a partial demand curve. This study discusses the conditions required to satisfy the list experiment validity assumptions and demonstrates the method in an e-extension platform randomized control trial in Sri Lanka. We show that the “no design effect” assumption for list experiments requires that the budget constraint for a household be nonbinding. Under conditions where that assumption is likely to hold, we find direct estimates overstate willingness to pay at low prices. Our findings suggest list experiments may provide a cheap method of more accurately assessing the typically large share of respondents unwilling to pay any non-zero-sum (extensive margin), but are less effective at reducing bias from exaggerated demand (intensive margin). |
| Keywords: | Food Security and Poverty |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:361169 |
| By: | Pranshu Raghuvanshi (India Institute of Science, Bangalore, India); Anjula Gurtoo (India Institute of Science, Bangalore, India) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the effectiveness of targeted informational interventions on electric vehicle adoption intention. A randomised controlled field experiment with three treatment groups and a control group was used to study the effectiveness of three informational interventions. Participants in each treatment group received a distinct informational intervention: cost-based, range-based, and norm-based. Two of the three interventions (range-based and norm-based), designed to reduce behavioural and psychological barriers, were found to be significant. The cost-based intervention was not significant, suggesting that financial motives alone may not be sufficient to lead to an increase in the adoption of electric vehicles. The significant effect observed for the range-based and norm-based interventions suggests that the discomfort related to the technology must be addressed, and social norms can be effectively utilised to promote electric vehicles at low cost. Although adoption is not guaranteed with self-reported intentions, the findings suggest that carefully framed informational interventions guide behavioural intentions towards sustainable technologies. The most significant contribution of the study is to the literature on demand-side policy instruments, which suggests that financial incentives can be complemented by other informational interventions to accelerate the adoption of sustainable mobility. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2601.00408 |
| By: | Evaluator 1 |
| Abstract: | Evaluation of "Maternal cash transfers for gender equity and child development: Experimental evidence from India" for The Unjournal. |
| Date: | 2025–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:e1maternalcashtransfers |
| By: | Jose Maria Cabrera; Alejandro Cid |
| Abstract: | Individuals are influenced by both their absolute performance and their performance relative to others. For example, workers’ satisfaction is affected not only by their nominal wage but also by how their salaries compare to those of their colleagues. We apply these ideas in the context of education. We analyze the effect of delivering relative performance feedback in a field experiment involving more than a thousand university students. We first find that untreated students tend to misperceive their standing in the grade distribution, with underperforming students often overstating their ranking and high-achieving students, particularly women, understating their performance. We experimentally provided treated students with information about their exact performance relative to peers.We find asymmetric effects of information feedback on men and women.Treated men reported increased satisfaction with their GPA, while treated women reported reduced satisfaction, regardless of their position in the grade distribution. Additionally, the non-monetary incentive caused a decline in women’s academic performance after one and two years. Two potential explanatory channels could account for these findings: women may exhibit a tendency to shy away from competition, and they might face an increasing marginal cost of effort. This paper highlights the nuanced impact of information feedback, showing that more information is not always universally beneficial. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2408 |
| By: | Gatti, Nicolas |
| Keywords: | Production Economics |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343759 |
| By: | Olivier Chanel (Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, AMSE, Marseille, France); Stéphane Luchini (Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, AMSE, Marseille, France); Miriam Teschl (Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, AMSE, Marseille, France); Alain Trannoy (Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, AMSE, Marseille, France) |
| Abstract: | This paper tests experimentally how preferences for redistribution of members of the general public depend on how money is earned. An experiment was designed to form of “microparticipatory-democracy”where redistribution from winners to losers is decided through a sequential strategy-proof majority voting procedure. Based on five distributive justice theories, we elicit people’s preferences for redistribution when their earnings come from four factors: effort, social circumstances, brute luck, and option luck. In the aggregate, our results show that a relative majority of people agree with Dworkin’s cut, namely, to compensate for social circumstances and brute luck but not effort and option luck. Participants with bad outcomes are more likely to engage in a self-serving vote, but on average, the dominant concern in voting remains people’s fairness view. The knowledge of the distribution of earnings and petition for equality of opportunity make participants vote more in favor of redistribution. |
| Keywords: | Social justice, micro participatory-democracy, equality of opportunity, responsibility, Experiment |
| JEL: | D63 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aim:wpaimx:2530 |
| By: | Takeshi Ojima; Shinsuke Ikeda |
| Abstract: | If dishonest behavior stems from a self-control problem, then offering the option to commit to honesty will reduce dishonesty, provided that it lowers the self-control costs of being honest. To test this theoretical prediction, we conducted an incentivized online experiment in which participants could cheat at a game of rock-paper-scissors. Treatment groups were randomly or invariably offered a hard Honesty-Commitment Option (HCO), which could be used to prevent cheating. Our between- and within-subject analyses reveal that the HCO provision significantly reduced cheating rates by approximately 64%. Evidence suggests that the commitment device works by lowering self-control costs, which is more pronounced in individuals with low cognitive reflection, rather than by an observer effect. Further analyses reveal two key dynamics. First, an individual’s frequency of not using the HCO reliably predicts their propensity to cheat when the option is unavailable. Second, repeatedly deciding not to use the commitment device can become habitual, diminishing the HCO provision’s effect in reducing cheating over time. This research highlights the effectiveness of honesty-commitment devices in policy design while also noting that their disuse can become habitual, pointing to a new dynamic in the study of cheating. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1295 |
| By: | Mikko Aaltonen; Martti Kaila; Emily E. Nix |
| Abstract: | This paper provides the first experimental evidence on the impact of providing a guaranteed basic income on criminal perpetration and victimization. We analyze a nationwide randomized controlled trial that provided 2, 000 unemployed individuals in Finland with an unconditional monthly payment of 560 Euros for two years (2017-2018), while 173, 222 comparable individuals remained under the existing social safety net. Using comprehensive administrative data on police reports and district court trials, we estimate precise zero effects on criminal perpetration and victimization. Point estimates are small and statistically insignificant across all crime categories. Our confidence intervals rule out reductions in perpetration of 5 percent or more for crime reports and 10 percent or more for criminal charges. |
| JEL: | I38 K42 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34547 |
| By: | Belzil, Christian (Ecole Polytechnique, Paris); Jagelka, Tomáš (University of Bonn) |
| Abstract: | We develop a micro-founded framework to account for individuals' effort and cognitive noise which confound estimates of preferences based on observed behavior. Using a large-scale experimental dataset we find that observed decision noise responds to the costs and benefits of exerting effort on individual choice tasks as predicted by our model. We estimate that failure to properly account for decision errors due to (rational) inattention on a more complex, but commonly used, task design biases estimates of risk aversion by 50% for the median individual. Effort propensities recovered from preference elicitation tasks generalize to other settings and predict performance on an OECD-sponsored achievement test used to make international comparisons. Furthermore, accounting for endogenous effort allows us to empirically reconcile competing models of discrete choice. |
| Keywords: | cognitive noise, endogenous effort, stochastic choice models, latent attributes, economic preferences, complexity, experimental design, achievement tests |
| JEL: | D91 C40 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18315 |
| By: | Anger, Silke (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg); Christoph, Bernhard (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg); Galkiewicz, Agata (University of Potsdam); Margaryan, Shushanik (University of Potsdam); Sandner, Malte (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg); Siedler, Thomas (University of Potsdam) |
| Abstract: | Tutoring programs for low-performing students, delivered in-person or online, effectively enhance school performance, yet their medium- and longer-term impacts on labor market outcomes remain less understood. To address this gap, we conduct a randomized controlled trial with 839 secondary school students in Germany to examine the effects of an online tutoring program for low-performing students on academic performance and school-to-work transitions. The online tutoring program had a non-significant intention-to-treat effect of 0.06 standard deviations on math grades six months after program start. However, among students who had not received other tutoring services prior to the intervention, the program significantly improved math grades by 0.14 standard deviations. Moreover, students in non-academic school tracks experienced smoother school-to-work transitions, with vocational training take-up 18 months later being 5 percentage points higher—an effect that was even larger (12 percentage points) among those without prior tutoring. Overall, the results indicate that tutoring can generate lasting benefits for low-performing students that extend beyond school performance. |
| Keywords: | school grades, disadvantaged youth, randomized controlled trial, online tutoring, school-to-work transition |
| JEL: | C93 I20 I24 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18307 |
| By: | Fischer, Mira (WZB - Social Science Research Center Berlin); Rau, Holger A. (University of Göttingen); Rilke, Rainer Michael (WHU Vallendar) |
| Abstract: | We study how AI tutoring affects learning in higher education through a randomized experiment with 334 university students preparing for an incentivized exam. Students either received only textbook material, restricted access to an AI tutor requiring initial independent reading, or unrestricted access throughout the study period. AI tutor access raises test performance by 0.23 standard deviations relative to control. Surprisingly, unrestricted access significantly outperforms restricted access by 0.21 standard deviations, contradicting concerns about premature AI reliance. Behavioral analysis reveals that unrestricted access fosters gradual integration of AI support, while restricted access induces intensive bursts of prompting that disrupt learning flow. Benefits are heterogeneous: AI tutors prove most effective for students with lower baseline knowledge and stronger self-regulation skills, suggesting that seamless AI integration enhances learning when students can strategically combine independent study with targeted support. |
| Keywords: | self-regulated learning, large language models, AI tutors, higher education |
| JEL: | C91 I21 D83 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18338 |
| By: | Vojtech Bartos; Ulrich Glogowsky; Johannes Rincke |
| Abstract: | We demonstrate that racial biases against tutors hinder learning. In e-learning experiments, U.S. conservatives are more likely to disregard advice from Black tutors, resulting in reduced performance compared to learners taught by white tutors. We show that the bias is unconscious and, consequently, does not skew tutor selection. In line with our theory, the bias disappears when the stakes are high. In contrast, liberals favor Black tutors without experiencing learning disparities. Methodologically, we contribute by using video post-production techniques to manipulate tutor race without introducing typical confounds. Additionally, we develop a novel two-stage design that simultaneously measures tutor selection, learning, and productivity. |
| Keywords: | discrimination, racial bias, learning, online experiment |
| JEL: | C90 D83 D91 J71 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12352 |
| By: | Walter, Johannes |
| Abstract: | Rising political polarization generates significant negative externalities for democratic institutions and economic stability, yet scalable interventions to reduce polarization remain scarce. In this paper, I study whether AI chatbots can reduce political polarization. In two preregistered online RCTs with representative U.S. samples, I find that AI significantly reduces polarization on the Ukraine war and immigration policy. In Experiment 1, AI reduced polarization by 20 percentage points, with effects persisting for one month. Experiment 2 pits AI against incentivized human persuaders and Static Text. I find no significant difference in effectiveness: all three reduced polarization by roughly 10 percentage points. While AI conversations were rated as more enjoyable, mechanism analysis reveals that persuasion is driven by learning and trust, not enjoyment. These results demonstrate AI's scalable persuasive power, highlighting its dual-use potential: it can be deployed to effectively reduce polarization, but also poses risks of misuse. |
| Keywords: | Political Polarization, AI Persuasion, Experimental Economics, Information Provision |
| JEL: | D72 D83 D91 O33 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:334534 |
| By: | Akinwehinmi, Titilayo; Birgit, Gassler; Ramona, Teuber |
| Abstract: | Consumer resistance to novel food technologies, such as genetic modification (GM) and gene editing (GED), is often attributed to a limited understanding of the underlying scientific processes. Literature suggests that providing information about the processes may influence consumer acceptance, but evidence remains inconsistent across regions. This study examines how information on genetic engineering processes influences consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for genetically engineered foods in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where food and nutrition insecurity are pressing issues. Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) conducted in Nigeria and a randomized experimental design, we subjected respondents to two types of information treatments: one emphasizing the health benefits of a nutritionally enhanced cassava product ("gari") and another that additionally explained the scientific processes behind conventional breeding, GM, GED. The data were analyzed using mixed logit models, comparing full attendance with stated and inferred attribute non-attendance (ANA) specifications. The results show consumers are willing to pay a premium for enhanced micronutrient content. However, information detailing scientific processes increased consumer aversion toward GM and GED methods. Importantly, providing process information significantly reduced instances of ANA behaviour, with stated ANA models offering the best fit to the data. While our findings suggest that efforts to scale up these technologies to address micronutrient deficiency and other nutrition insecurities in Africa are likely to succeed, other concerns about market prospects remain. We discuss these concerns and other market implications of the findings. |
| Keywords: | Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360897 |
| By: | João V. Ferreira; Nobuyuki Hanaki; Benoît Tarroux |
| Abstract: | This paper experimentally examines the interplay between focal points, beliefs, and distributional preferences. Contrary to common wisdom, there is no detectable evidence that equal splits act as salient focal points in distributional voting contexts. Participants mispredict others’ preferences: they overestimate egalitarianism when Pareto efficient options are available and underestimate it when efficiency gains come at others’ expense. There is a clear correlation between individuals’ preferences and beliefs (false-consensus bias), and participants are more egalitarian when they perceive a low probability of being pivotal (cheap fairman talk). These findings challenge assumptions about focal points and highlight beliefdriven behavior in distributional settings. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1287 |
| By: | Berry, James; Fischer, Greg; Guiteras, Raymond P. |
| Abstract: | Using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism, we estimate the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for and impact of clean water technology through a field experiment in Ghana. Although WTP is low relative to the cost, demand is relatively inelastic at low prices. In the short-run, treatment effects are positive—the incidence of children’s diarrhea falls by one third—and consistent throughout the WTP distribution. After a year, usage has fallen, particularly for those with relatively low valuations. Strikingly, the long-run average treatment effect is negative for those with valuations below the median. Combining estimated treatment effects with individual willingness-to pay measures implies households’ valuations of health benefits are much smaller than those typically used by policymakers. Finally, we explore differences between BDM and take-it-or-leave-it valuations and make recommendations for effectively implementing BDM in the field. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:cenrep:273077 |
| By: | Tingting Ding; Steven F. Lehrer |
| Abstract: | We conduct a series of laboratory experiments that implement the Daley and Green (2020) model to examine whether the gradual, exogenous revelation of sellers’ private information influences the occurrence of trades in a bilateral bargaining setting with a static lemon condition. We find that while information does not increase efficiency, it reduces the likelihood that buyers incur losses when trading with low-quality sellers. Anticipating that additional signals will arrive, buyers hesitate to finalize deals immediately and exhibit a “waiting for news” effect, making sizable offer adjustments only when sufficient positive signals have accumulated. In contrast, informed sellers are less sensitive to news but appear to wait for the offer that they deem acceptable. |
| JEL: | C70 C92 D82 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34543 |
| By: | Kotsadam, Andreas (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research); Løvgren, Mette (Oslo Metropolitan University); Moreau, Nicolas (Université de la Réunion); Stancanelli, Elena G. F. (Paris School of Economics); van Soest, Arthur (Tilburg University) |
| Abstract: | We study how working from home links to gendered attitudes about household work and childcare. Using a vignette experiment embedded in a regular Dutch population representative survey, we randomly vary the gender of the partner working from home in a hypothetical dual-earner couple. When presented with various routine and emergency chores, respondents, on average, agree that the partner working from home should execute them. These effects are significantly larger when the vignette randomly depicts a man, rather than a woman, working from home, but these gender differences in respondents’ expectations vanish in a scenario where no partner works from home. All in all, the evidence gathered indicates that Work from Home may blast rather than boost gender norms around household work and childcare. |
| Keywords: | gender norms, household work, work from home, vignette |
| JEL: | D13 D83 J16 J22 M54 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18324 |
| By: | Pietro Biroli; Amalia Di Girolamo; Giuseppe Sorrenti; Maddalena Totarelli |
| Abstract: | Educational disparities often limit students' access to relatable role models, constraining their aspirations and educational outcomes. We design and implement the Online Role Model Mentoring Program (ORME), a scalable, low-cost intervention connecting middle school students with successful role models from similar backgrounds. Using a randomized controlled trial with over 450 students in Campania, Italy, we find that ORME improves students' beliefs about the returns to effort, increases alignment between aspirations and expectations, and boosts school effort. Treated students also become more academically ambitious: they are more likely to enroll in academically oriented tracks and perform better on standardized language tests. These findings show that brief online mentoring sessions can have a meaningful impact on students’ attitudes and choices at a critical stage of schooling, highlighting a promising tool to support students in low-opportunity contexts. |
| Keywords: | role models, aspirations, mentoring, school interventions |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J24 D91 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12342 |
| By: | Luca Corazzini; Christopher Cotton (Queen's University); Enrico Longo (Unviersity of Venice) |
| Abstract: | Collective efforts often rely on high-capacity “stars†—star employees, lead investors, or major donors—whose participation disproportionately determines success. Is it better to engage them early to set direction, or later to ensure completion? We investigate this strategic design problem experimentally, where collective success requires coordination on both direction and effort. We find that sequential engagement significantly outperforms simultaneous action, following a clear heuristic: stars should lead when the broader team is disorganized (to focus attention) but anchor when the team is already organized (to resolve effort failure). Regardless of when star engagement occurs, groups tend to support the majority’s preferred action when it is clear. Disorganized groups, in contrast, look to the preferences of the star for guidance. Finally, groups converge towards more equitable outcomes than equilibria imply, with the star taking on a disproportionate, but not excessive, share of costs. The timing that maximizes success also maximizes the payoffs of both the star and majority members, suggesting that managers can focus on effectiveness, relying on cooperative norms to prevent excessive free-riding and ensure fairness. |
| Keywords: | Collective Action, Teamwork, Collaboration, Star Performer, Crowdfunding, Charitable Giving, Leadership, Organizational Design |
| JEL: | C92 D23 D71 H41 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qed:wpaper:1542 |
| By: | Ali Zeytoon-Nejad |
| Abstract: | Purpose: This paper explores gender differences in two distinct forms of risk aversion -- Payoff Risk Aversion (PaRA) and Price Risk Aversion (PrRA) -- in order to provide a more nuanced understanding of how men and women respond to different types of economic uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a laboratory experiment using Multiple-Choice-List (MCL) risk-elicitation tasks based on both Direct Utility Function (DUF) and Indirect Utility Function (IUF) frameworks. These tasks present stochastic payoffs and stochastic prices, respectively. The analysis uses statistical hypothesis testing to compare gender-specific responses across three experimental designs. Findings: The key results of the study indicate that women typically exhibit higher degrees of PaRA than men, which is a consistent finding with the mainstream literature. However, remarkably, the results from all the three indirect MCL designs show that women typically exhibit lower degrees of PrRA than men, and this result is robust across different MCL designs. The paper also introduces an 'irrationality gap' as the difference between PaRA and PrRA and explores the size of the irrationality gap within either gender group, finding it larger and statistically significant for men, while smaller and statistically insignificant for women. Originality/value: This study is the first to distinguish between PaRA and PrRA in a gender comparison, using experimentally validated methods. It provides new behavioral insights into the nature of gender-specific risk preferences and introduces the irrationality gap as a novel concept with implications for understanding financial decision-making and the design of gender-sensitive economic policies. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2512.20909 |
| By: | Louise Bernard; Andy Hackett; Robert D. Metcalfe; Luca Panzone; Andrew Schein |
| Abstract: | Understanding how to effectively influence electric vehicle (EV) charging behavior is critical for managing electricity grids powered by high levels of variable renewable generation. We present results from a large-scale natural field experiment conducted in the United Kingdom, involving approximately 110, 000 EV customers and 60% of the country’s public charging infrastructure. Within this network, we applied a price decrease to approximately one-fifth of chargers to bring their prices closer to the marginal cost of electricity in low-cost hours in Great Britain. Customers were randomly assigned to different price levels, allowing us to estimate the causal effect of price on charging demand and derive elasticities of short-run behavioral responses. Customers were highly responsive to price: a 40% reduction in charging costs increased platform-wide charging activity by 117%, while a 15% price cut led to a 30% increase. Decomposing the increase in charging, we estimate that approximately half reflected substitution between charging apps. Our findings suggest that dynamic pricing for public EV charging generated large consumer welfare gains. |
| JEL: | Q4 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34600 |
| By: | Gustafson, Christopher R. |
| Abstract: | We conducted an experiment on the choice of plant-based vs. animal-source frozen patties and burgers in a complex (50 unique products) choice environment. We examined the impact of two variations in the choice environment on the choice of plant-based vs. animal-source burgers: the prevalence of plant-burgers (20% vs. 30%) and the presence (or not) of a filter enabling participants to easily find pulse-based burger products. Further, we examined individual-specific drivers of choice outcomes, and we introduced a novel application of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to identify choice outcomes that participants were actively (cognitively) modelling during the choice process in terms of the product alternatives in the choice environment. These outcomes included taste, cost, health, environment, among others. We examined the impact of these EMA variables alongside more traditional measures of consumer priorities, beliefs, and habits. We find a small percentage of plant-based choices in conditions without the filter (approximately 10%), with no meaningful difference between the low and high prevalence conditions. The proportion of plant-based choices more closely resemble retail data than outcomes of recent choice experiments, which predict plant-based choices to be around 30%. However, when the filter is present, the proportion of plant-based choices is approximately 30%. We find evidence that EMA can be a useful tool to understand consumer cognition during choice. Participants actively considering health or the environment were significantly more likely to choose plant-based options, while individuals reporting active consideration of taste or price were significantly more likely to choose meat-based alternatives. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:361146 |
| By: | Nobuyuki Hanaki; Bolin Mao; Tiffany Tsz Kwan Tse; Wenxin Zhou |
| Abstract: | This study investigates participants’ willingness to pay for stock forecasting advice from algorithms, financial experts, and peers. Contrary to prior findings on “algorithm aversion, ” participants valued algorithmic advice as much as expert advice and relied on it heavily, even though its performance was not superior. This algorithm appreciation reflects a shift in perceived reliability among students. However, it led to lower payoffs, as participants overpaid for advice that failed to significantly improve outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of developing tools and policies that help individuals better evaluate the actual value of algorithmic advice. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1268r |
| By: | Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron (Nova School of Business and Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper provides experimental evidence on the electoral effect of a large education reform in a developing democracy. The reform significantly improved school quality on many dimensions (Romero, Sandefur, & Sandholtz, 2020). In this paper, I show that the reform reduced the incumbent party's pres- idential vote share by 2.1 percentage points (5%). The reform also reduced teachers' job satisfaction, support for the incumbent government, and political engagement. Electoral effects were positively correlated with effects on teachers' political engagement; the reform lost most votes where it caused greatest political disengagement of teachers. |
| Keywords: | randomized controlled trial, elections, policy feedback, political economy, public service delivery, development, education, Liberia |
| JEL: | I25 O10 P00 C93 D72 H41 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18346 |
| By: | Claudio Daminato; Irina Gemmo |
| Abstract: | Sound retirement planning requires individuals to have precise beliefs about their survival chances. Based on an online survey experiment administered to a representative sample of the US population, we provide first evidence of the patterns of individuals’ uncertainty about their survival probabilities, i.e., survival ambiguity, over the life-cycle. To this end, we devise a novel direct measure of survival ambiguity at the individual level, using the variance of the distribution of subjective survival probabilities. Leveraging experimental variation, we find that providing information about objective survival chances decreases individuals’ degree of survival ambiguity. Further, we show that individuals’ survival ambiguity is strongly negatively associated with individuals’ savings rates. Finally, we provide a realistic life-cycle model of savings and portfolio choice that rationalizes the empirical evidence. Our findings provide an explanation for the observation that many individuals “save too little” for their retirement and support information campaigns about individuals’ objective survival chances in addition to financial education programs to improve retirement security, as survival ambiguity presents a previously unexplored determinant of financial well-being. |
| Keywords: | Life Cycle, Savings Behavior, Subjective Expectations, Survival Ambiguity |
| JEL: | D15 D91 G51 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsi:irersi:21 |
| By: | Ferraro, Gregory H.; Brown, Zachary S.; Reisig, Dominic |
| Abstract: | Traditional agricultural extension in the US and elsewhere uses a ‘knowledge transfer’ model focused on disseminating results of public agricultural research to farmers. Yet extension is often tasked with helping farmers solve problems that require collective action, such as pesticide resistance and water management, for which technical information provision alone is often ineffective or even counterproductive. Informed by the study of socioecological systems, we conducted a pilot test of an extension messaging strategy which appealed to heterogeneous farming community norms and values. Among 209 participants in 14 agricultural extension meetings held across eastern North Carolina in 2023, we randomized the content of extension presentations aimed at increasing farmers’ use of non-Bt corn, Zea mays L., refuges to slow insect pests’ evolution of resistance to transgenic Bt corn. Using an incentivized economic game for measuring ‘conditional cooperation’ in common-pool resource management, we elicited participants’ baseline willingness to cooperate (WTC) with their neighbors in a framed vignette about collective control of herbicide-resistant weeds. We also recorded participation in local drainage management organizations (DMOs), which we hypothesized would predict levels of social capital and conditional cooperation. As hypothesized, we confirm that participation in DMOs predicted more cooperative gameplay. Extension presentations with cooperative norm activation v. an information-only control significantly increased Bt refuge planting intentions only for those with lower baseline WTC, contradicting another of our hypotheses. These findings point to the potential effectiveness of tailoring messaging about cooperation and community values in extension communication, using specialists’ on-the-ground knowledge of community-level social capital. |
| Keywords: | Land Economics/Use |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:361203 |
| By: | von Zahn, Moritz; Liebich, Lena; Jussupow, Ekaterina; Hinz, Oliver; Bauer, Kevin |
| Abstract: | The use of explainable AI (XAI) methods to render the prediction logic of black-box AI interpretable to humans is becoming more popular and more widely used in practice, among other things due to regulatory requirements such as the EU AI Act. Previous research on human-XAI interaction has shown that explainability may help mitigate black-box problems but also unintentionally alter individuals' cognitive processes, e.g., distorting their reasoning and evoking informational overload. While empirical evidence on the impact of XAI on how individuals "think" is growing, it has been largely overlooked whether XAI can even affect individuals' "thinking about thinking", i.e., metacognition, which theory conceptualizes to monitor and control previously-studied thinking processes. Aiming to take a first step in filling this gap, we investigate whether XAI affects confidence calibrations, and, thereby, decisions to transfer decision-making responsibility to AI, on the meta-level of cognition. We conduct two incentivized experiments in which human experts repeatedly perform prediction tasks, with the option to delegate each task to an AI. We exogenously vary whether participants initially receive explanations that reveal the AI's underlying prediction logic. We find that XAI improves individuals' metaknowledge (the alignment between confidence and actual performance) and partially enhances confidence sensitivity (the variation of confidence with task performance). These metacognitive shifts causally increase both the frequency and effectiveness of human-to-AI delegation decisions. Interestingly, these effects only occur when explanations reveal to individuals that AI's logic diverges from their own, leading to a systematic reduction in confidence. Our findings suggest that XAI can correct overconfidence at the potential cost of lowering confidence even when individuals perform well. Both effects influence decisions to cede responsibility to AI, highlighting metacognition as a central mechanism in human-XAI collaboration. |
| Keywords: | Explainable Artificial Intelligence, Metacognition, Metaknowledge, Delegation, Machine Learning, Human-AI Collaboration |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:safewp:334511 |
| By: | Richard Akresh; Damien de Walque; Harounan Kazianga; Abigail Stocker |
| Abstract: | Cash transfers are a critical part of social safety nets. However, integrated programs combining cash and parenting interventions through either group-based information meetings or home visits are recently being adopted to improve child development. Working with the Burkina Faso government, we conduct a randomized experiment in 225 rural villages to assess the impact of an integrated social safety net over the child’s life cycle. Villages were randomized to a control group or one of the following treatments: cash transfers; cash transfers plus government-run group-based information meetings focused on children’s health and psychosocial development; or cash transfers, information, and home visits reinforcing the information meetings. Fifteen months after treatment ended, households receiving cash, information, and home visits have fewer pregnancies, more medically assisted childbirths, enhanced health behaviors, and better educational outcomes. Adding home visits is essential for improving childhood development, while cash, with or without information, produces no lasting impacts. |
| JEL: | I12 I38 J13 O12 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34578 |
| By: | Halling, Aske (Aarhus University); Cecchini, Mathilde (University of Southern Denmark); Grønhøj, Benedicte Omand |
| Abstract: | Research shows that frontline workers often discriminate based on race or ethnicity. However, citizens can also display discriminatory behavior—for instance, by requesting service only from workers of the same ethnic or religious background. This discrimination exercised by citizens towards frontline employees remains underexplored. Drawing on studies of citizen–state interactions, discrimination, and political ideology, we investigate when the public finds such requests acceptable. Using a vignette survey experiment with 2, 067 Danish citizens, we find that language-based requests are seen as more acceptable than those based on religion. Political ideology significantly shapes these views: right-leaning individuals are more accepting when the requester is from the ethnic majority, while left-leaning individuals are more accepting when the requester is from an ethnic minority. While these single-country findings may not generalize beyond one-to-one interactions characterized by high intimacy, they shed light on how ideology influences public attitudes toward ethnically motivated service preferences and highlight the need to further examine citizen-driven discrimination in public service settings. |
| Date: | 2025–12–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:gpsb6_v1 |
| By: | Jing Cynthia Wu; Shihan Xie; Yinxi Xie; Ji Zhang |
| Abstract: | We conduct a large-scale information randomized controlled trial to study fiscal policy impacts. Surveying approximately 9, 000 households across five eurozone countries with varying debt-to-GDP ratios enables a clean cross-country comparison. The key finding is that the fiscal multiplier depends jointly on the financing method and the country’s debt burden: multipliers are smaller in high-debt countries when debt-financed but remain similar across countries when tax-financed. Finally, we develop a New Keynesian model featuring fiscal discipline, which reproduces the empirical patterns observed in the survey and highlights their underlying economic mechanisms. |
| JEL: | C83 D84 E62 H60 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34551 |
| By: | Olivera, Javier; Schokkaert, Erik; van Kerm, Philippe |
| Abstract: | This paper uses a survey experiment embedded in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) for Luxembourg – a representative sample of the population aged 50 and above in the country – to show how provision of information influences elicited support for inheritance taxation. While support is low in generic, direct questions about inheritance taxation, support increases when respondents are asked to express views about linear tax rates with explicit tax exemption thresholds and when information is provided about how tax revenues will be used – especially if respondents are told revenues will be used to improve the quality of basic education. This information effect plays even in our setting in which the focus is on inheritances from parents to children. It is only relevant however for respondents who were initially opposed to the tax and does not affect strongly the proponents. |
| Keywords: | inheritance taxation; vignettes; survey experiment; Luxembourg; SHARE |
| JEL: | H24 D31 D63 E62 H53 |
| Date: | 2024–12–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130698 |
| By: | Meerza, Syed Imran Ali; Mottaleb, Khondoker; Dsouza, Alwin |
| Abstract: | Zinc rice has the potential to address zinc deficiency, particularly among vulnerable populations like women of reproductive age and children, as zinc deficiency can lead to impaired growth, compromised immune function, and various other health issues. However, ensuring sufficient consumer acceptance and market adoption of zinc rice is crucial for maximizing its positive public health impact. This study investigates the effects of sequential information framing – whether positive information is provided first or negative information comes first – and recency bias on consumer valuations of zinc rice using a non-hypothetical laboratory experiment involving 400 participants. Our findings indicate that the sequence of information presented significantly affects consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for zinc rice. Specifically, initial positive information results in higher valuations; however, the subsequent negative information neutralizes these positive effects. Interestingly, when consumers are first exposed to negative information followed by positive details, their valuations of zinc rice increase significantly. Notably, the recency bias plays an important role, as the last piece of information presented has a stronger effect on consumer valuation. The results suggest that marketing and informational campaign strategies should emphasize potential risks, followed by health benefits, to enhance consumer demand for zinc rice. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360597 |
| By: | Kirschenmann, Karolin; Knebel-Seitz, Caroline |
| Abstract: | How do retirees choose among home equity release products? Despite housing wealth being households' largest asset, little is known about preferences for different equity release products. We conduct a survey experiment comparing home annuities, reverse mortgages, and an opt-out option among the German adult population. We find that presentation format (simultaneous vs. sequential) does not affect product choices. The majority of participants prefer no equity release product. Among those selecting equity release, home annuities are preferred over reverse mortgages. Individual characteristics, in particular risk tolerance, bequest motive, and financial literacy predict choices. The latter highlights the importance of consumer education given the complexity of these long-term financial decisions. |
| Keywords: | Equity release products, reverse mortgage, home annuity, retirement planning, financial literacy |
| JEL: | D14 G20 G51 G53 J26 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:333933 |
| By: | Martorano, Bruno (Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, RS: GSBE MGSoG); Metzger, Laura; Justino, Patricia; Iacoella, F. |
| Abstract: | We study whether exposure to social movements campaigning against income and gender income inequality shifts individual beliefs about inequality, reshapes preferences for redistribution, and translates into political participation in the UK. Since the Great Recession of the 2010s, the UK has seen significant growth in social movements, particularly those mobilizing against inequality. We focus on income and gender income inequality, two persistent and politically contested forms of inequality in advanced democracies like the UK. Responses to social movements can diverge sharply between them. Using observational data, we show that exposure to protests against inequality is strongly correlated with increased support for redistribution. To identify causal effects, we complement this evidence with an online experiment in which we randomly assign 1, 436 UK citizens to follow real social movement content focused on either income or gender income inequality over a two-week period on Facebook. Participants exposed to information about income inequality increase support for reducing income disparities, while those exposed to gender income inequality support targeted measures to address gender gaps. Both groups favor higher taxes on the wealthy and are more likely to take political action, including signing a petition, contacting a politician, or meeting a public official. |
| JEL: | D31 D72 H23 I38 J16 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–11–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:unumer:2025027 |
| 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. Althoughwe 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. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1299 |
| By: | Chia-Hui Chen; Junichiro Ishida; Wing Suen |
| Abstract: | We consider a screening problem in which a data seller offers a dynamic payment schedule for a sequence of experiments to a privately informed buyer. Different buyer types face different expected costs for the same payment schedule. This payment gap can be optimized to reduce information rent. Dynamic mechanisms strictly increase seller revenue compared to the optimal static mechanism, and may even extract full surplus under some conditions. We obtain a full characterization of optimal dynamic mechanisms, which can take the simple form of a binary experiment at each stage. Payments are backloaded and experiments become progressively more informative over stages. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1294 |
| By: | Michalis Drouvelis; Nobuyuki Hanaki; Yuta Shimodaira |
| Abstract: | Extending the power-to-take game, we explore the impact of two forces that may shape retaliation. In our 2x2 design, i) in addition to taking, proposers can give part of their endowment to responders, and ii) in addition to destroying their own endowment in retaliation, responders can destroy the proposers’ endowment. Although these additional options lead responders to retaliate more severely, they do not significantly influence proposers’ behavior. Only when proposers can give and responders can concurrently destroy proposers’ endowments do proposers take significantly less from the responders. |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1262r |
| By: | Guiteras, Raymond P.; Jack, B. Kelsey |
| Abstract: | Piece-rate compensation is a common feature of developing country labor markets, but little is known about how piece-rate workers respond to incentives, or the tradeoffs that an employer faces when setting the terms of the contract. In a field experiment in rural Malawi, we hired casual day laborers at piece rates and collected detailed data on the quantity and quality of their output. Specifically, we use a simplified Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism, which provides random variation in piece rates conditional on revealed reservation rates, to separately identify the effects of worker selection and incentives on output. We find a positive relationship between output quantity and the piece rate, and show that this is solely the result of the incentive effect, not selection. In addition, we randomized whether workers were subject to stringent quality monitoring. Monitoring led to higher quality output, at some cost to the quantity produced. However, workers do not demand higher compensation when monitored, and monitoring has no measurable effect on the quality of workers willing to work under a given piece rate. Together, the set of worker responses that we document lead the employer to prefer a contract that offers little surplus to the worker, consistent with an equilibrium in which workers have little bargaining power. |
| Keywords: | Labor and Human Capital |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:cenrep:264959 |
| By: | Karun Adusumilli |
| Abstract: | This article develops a continuous-time asymptotic framework for analyzing adaptive experiments -- settings in which data collection and treatment assignment evolve dynamically in response to incoming information. A key challenge in analyzing fully adaptive experiments, where the assignment policy is updated after each observation, is that the sequence of policy rules often lack a well-defined asymptotic limit. To address this, we focus instead on the empirical allocation process, which captures the fraction of observations assigned to each treatment over time. We show that, under general conditions, any adaptive experiment and its associated empirical allocation process can be approximated by a limit experiment defined by Gaussian diffusions with unknown drifts and a corresponding continuous-time allocation process. This limit representation facilitates the analysis of optimal decision rules by reducing the dimensionality of the state-space and leveraging the tractability of Gaussian diffusions. We apply the framework to derive optimal estimators, analyze in-sample regret for adaptive experiments, and construct e-processes for anytime-valid inference. Notably, we introduce the first definition of any-time and any-experiment valid inference for multi-treatment settings. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2601.00739 |
| By: | Fan, Hao; Wang, Jingjing; Fan, Shenggen |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effects of two interventions—information and commitment—on food waste behaviors among students in university canteen, along with the underlying socio-psychological mechanisms. The informational intervention involves providing students with details about the environmental impact of food waste, while the commitment intervention encourages students to sign a pledge to reduce waste after receiving similar information. The experiment conducted in two university canteens in China reveals that information alone has a limited effect on students’ food- waste behavior, whereas the combined intervention of information and commitment significantly reduces food waste. Further analysis indicates that the effectiveness of the commitment intervention varied across gender, dining pattern, and policy awareness, highlighting the importance of tailoring future interventions to account for the heterogeneity within the student population. Mechanism analysis identifies three key socio-psychological factors—attitude, subject norms, and perceived behavioral control—that play significant roles in food-waste behaviors. Notably, the interaction between attitude and commitment interventions is positively associated with students’ food waste behavior, likely due to the triggering of students’ psychological reactance, or a backlash effect, as students seemed to rebel against the imposed commitment. This study provides a theoretical foundation for food waste interventions in higher education institutions and highlights the importance of combining strategies, addressing socio-psychological factors, and tailoring approaches to individual and group characteristics. |
| Keywords: | Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360814 |
| By: | Gurung, Suraj; Chen, Lijun Angelia; Magnier, Alexandre; Gao, Zhifeng |
| Abstract: | The rise of the Home Cooking Movement (HCM) reflects growing consumer interest in locally sourced, value-added foods and a desire for closer ties to food origins. Legislative reforms in states like California, Utah, Iowa, and Wyoming have introduced varied regulatory frameworks—from strict licensing to full exemptions— which may influence consumer trust and behavior towards home kitchens. To examine how these regulatory differences and consumer values shape willingness to pay (WTP) and purchasing decisions, we designed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with five key attributes: price, customer reviews, establishment type (licensed/exempt home kitchens or traditional restaurants), liability insurance, and certifications. Using a betweensubjects design, respondents were randomly assigned to one of three information treatments: control, altruistic, or egoistic. A random parameter logit (RPL) model was used to capture preference heterogeneity. Results show strong, consistent WTP for food safety credentials ($3.60–$5.95). However, framing plays a critical role: egoistically framed consumers required steep discounts to choose either licensed (−$3.46) or exempt (−$3.82) home kitchens, whereas altruistic messaging significantly reduced resistance and broadened acceptance. These findings highlight the importance of value-aligned messaging and credible food safety practices in fostering consumer acceptance of home kitchens. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360599 |
| By: | Yujia Gu; Lin Liu; Wei Ma |
| Abstract: | Adjusting for (baseline) covariates with working regression models becomes standard practice in the analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT). When the dimension $p$ of the covariates is large relative to the sample size $n$, specifically $p = o (n)$, adjusting for covariates even in a linear working model by ordinary least squares can yield overly large bias, defeating the purpose of improving efficiency. This issue arises when no structural assumptions are imposed on the outcome model, a scenario that we refer to as the assumption-lean setting. Several new estimators have been proposed to address this issue. However, they focus mainly on simple randomization under the finite-population model, not covering covariate adaptive randomization (CAR) schemes under the superpopulation model. Due to improved covariate balance between treatment groups, CAR is more widely adopted in RCT; and the superpopulation model fits better when subjects are enrolled sequentially or when generalizing to a larger population is of interest. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop procedures in these settings, as the current regulatory guidance provides little concrete direction. In this paper, we fill this gap by demonstrating that an adjusted estimator based on second-order $U$-statistics can almost unbiasedly estimate the average treatment effect and enjoy a guaranteed efficiency gain if $p = o (n)$. In our analysis, we generalize the coupling technique commonly used in the CAR literature to $U$-statistics and also obtain several useful results for analyzing inverse sample Gram matrices by a delicate leave-$m$-out analysis, which may be of independent interest. Both synthetic and semi-synthetic experiments are conducted to demonstrate the superior finite-sample performance of our new estimator compared to popular benchmarks. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2512.20046 |
| By: | Shuhei Kitamura; Ryo Takahashi; Katsunori Yamada |
| Abstract: | Elections are a primary mechanism through which citizens can hold politicians accountable for misconduct. However, whether voters actually punish corruption at the ballot box remains an open question, as electoral decisions often involve strategic considerations, including beliefs about how others think and behave. To better understand how such strategic considerations operate in this context, we conducted a pre-registered information intervention during a major political corruption scandal in Japan. The treatment provided information about the prevailing social norm—specifically, the perceived social intolerance of the scandal. The treatment increased turnout and support for a challenger, particularly among swing voters who initially believed that others were intolerant of corruption. Among party loyalists with more lenient prior beliefs, the same information backfired, increasing support for the incumbent. The turnout effect among swing voters was sizable—approximately six percentage points—comparable in magnitude to benchmark mobilization interventions involving personalized contact or social pressure. To account for these patterns, we develop a simple model that incorporates mechanisms—notably moral reinforcement and identity reinforcement—that generate predictions consistent with the observed heterogeneity in responses. By highlighting how perceptions of prevailing norms shape voter behavior in the presence of strategic considerations, this study contributes to a broader understanding of how democratic institutions can remain resilient in the face of political misconduct. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1289 |
| By: | Sapio, Silvia; Caso, Gerarda; Annunziata, Azzurra; Vecchioa, Riccardo |
| Abstract: | To satisfy consumer demand for convenient, tasty, and inexpensive products, Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) have become increasingly prevalent in many countries worldwide. This rise in UPFs consumption can however contribute to several health issues, particularly among low-income groups, who are more susceptible to making unhealthy food purchases. Nudging is an approach that aims to influence consumer behavior toward desired outcomes. In the context of a digital environment, the swap suggests healthier alternatives when an individual selects an unhealthy food option. Herein, an experiment was conducted on 810 low-income Italians responsible for household food purchases, who were asked to select a main and side dish in an online supermarket. When UPFs were selected, a food swap was proposed, offering a minimally processed alternative. Results provide evidence that a food swap can reduce the selection of UPFs among low-income consumers and identify specific individual factors that influence the effectiveness of a food swap among this target population. Specifically, 23% of participants accepted the swap, and younger males, with higher UPFs consumption levels and lower reactance, were more likely to follow the nudge, suggesting the potential for targeted interventions in the digital environment. |
| Keywords: | Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360813 |
| By: | Baek, Tae Hyun; Yim, Mark Yi-Cheon; Park, Jooyoung; Cho, Areum |
| Abstract: | Marketers are increasingly using unconventional design tactics to visually disrupt consumer expectations, like turning brand logos upside down. Across four experiments, this research examined how inverted logos influence consumer brand responses. In two binary choice tasks (Studies 1A and 1B), participants exhibited a lower preference for an inverted logo than a standard logo for branded products. Study 2 determined the psychological mechanism underlying this effect: inverted logos increase perceived unexpectedness, which increases perceptions of brand rebelliousness and, ultimately, reduces purchase intentions. Study 3 demonstrated that political ideology moderates this effect: more conservative, but not liberal, consumers respond negatively to inverted logos. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications for logo design and visual branding strategies. |
| Keywords: | logo orientation; perceived unexpectedness; perceived rebelliousness; political ideology; schema congruity; AAM requested |
| JEL: | L81 |
| Date: | 2026–01–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:129521 |
| By: | Duan, Dinglin; Gao, Zhifeng |
| Abstract: | While Nutrition Facts Panels (NFPs) are mandated by the FDA for packaged foods in physical retail, their regulation in online environments remains unaddressed. This study examines how NFP accessibility affects consumer purchase decisions in online grocery shopping, where NFP presentation is inconsistent and often absent. Despite online grocery sales reaching $201 billion in 2023, no research has investigated the relationship between NFP accessibility and consumer choices in digital grocery stores. Using a real choice experiment, participants make actual purchase decisions while we manipulate NFP presence and placement. The study addresses three research questions: (1) whether NFPs should be mandated for online food retail, (2) whether NFP prominence affects consumer decisions, and (3) whether simplified nutrition indicators enhance online shopping choices. This investigation is particularly timely given the FDA's January 2025 proposal for front-of-package nutrition labeling, which emphasizes immediate visibility of key nutritional information but has unknown implications for consumer behavior. Our research design differs from previous studies by testing actual purchase behavior rather than stated preferences, evaluating various NFP placements, and examining simplified nutrition formats. Results will inform policymakers in developing regulations for online food retail and help retailers design effective strategies for presenting nutritional information. The findings are especially relevant as online grocery shopping continues to expand, making digital nutrition labeling an increasingly important public health concern. |
| Keywords: | Food Security and Poverty |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360871 |
| By: | Gautam, Sanghmitra; Gechter, Michael; Guiteras, Raymond P.; Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq |
| Abstract: | We conduct an organized review of intervention-based studies that aim to promote improved sanitation adoption and use RCTs for evaluation. We impose systematic inclusion criteria to identify such studies, and compile their microdata to harmonize outcome and covariate measures as well as estimands across studies. We then re-analyze their data to report metrics that are consistently defined and measured across studies. We compare the relative effectiveness of different classes of interventions implemented in overlapping ways across four countries: community-level demand encouragement, sanitation subsidies, product information campaigns, and offering microcredit to finance product purchases. Interventions with financial benefits generally outperform information and education campaigns. Effects are typically larger for households with higher shares of women and differ little by poverty status, but more research is needed to confirm our conclusions on effect heterogeneity by household characteristics. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:cenrep:340057 |
| By: | Tobias-Mamina, Rejoice; Jordaan, Yolanda; Lin, Lin; Ortega, David L. |
| Abstract: | High meat consumption in South Africa is driven by population growth, increased income, and urbanization. However, high meat production raises environmental and societal concerns, highlighting the need to shift toward more sustainable protein sources to reduce these impacts. This study examines consumer preferences for plant-based, insect-based, and cultured meat as alternatives, alongside the effects of environmental and health information and naming restrictions on these preferences. A food choice experiment was administered on 1, 013 urban South African food shoppers to assess preferences for three alternative burger patties relative to farm-raised beef patties. Respondents were randomly assigned to treatments varying by health, environmental, and product naming information. Results indicate that farm-raised beef captures approximately 96% of the market share within our sample of urban food shoppers. Naming restrictions do not significantly affect beef demand but increase the market share for plant-based and cultured alternatives. Health information leads to slightly higher preferences for plant-based options than environmental information. Preference for insect-based alternatives remains low, likely due to an aversion to insects. These findings enhance understanding of consumer preferences for alternative meat products and naming restrictions, informing policies aimed at reducing the environmental and societal impacts of livestock production in South Africa. |
| Keywords: | Marketing |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360835 |
| By: | Akinwehinmi, Oluwagbenga; Liesbeth, Colen; Vincenzina, Caputo |
| Abstract: | Aflatoxin contamination in food poses severe health risks in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet many consumers are unaware of their exposure. Moreover, most food markets in these countries are not regulated for food safety and lack credible mechanisms to signal food safety. This study investigates how market-specific exposure information influences consumers' beliefs about their perceived health risk of and exposure to aflatoxin contamination, and willingness to pay (WTP) for tested, certified, and untested maize flour. Based on test results from 150 maize flour samples taken at five informal markets, we generated market-specific exposure to aflatoxin contamination. Using an incentive-compatible discrete choice experiment (DCE) with a random information treatment, we estimated WTP among 370 consumers in Northern Nigeria. The findings reveal that tailored, market-specific information resulted in the most significant updates of belief about exposure to unsafe food, large premiums for tested and certified maize flour, and the largest discount for untested maize flour. Heterogeneity analysis shows that belief updating significantly explains the discount. Findings underscore the potential of market-specific information to mitigate consumer exposure to food safety risks, promote safer food markets, and inform food safety policies in LMICs. |
| Keywords: | Food Security and Poverty |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360883 |
| By: | Gian Luca Carniglia; Mauricio Ribeiro |
| Abstract: | Will competition between firms in the job market increase efficiency and reduce discrimination? We show that when the worker’s productivity is unknown and the minimum wage is not too low, competition can lead to a constrained-inefficient and discriminatory outcome. Under these conditions, competition creates a hold-up problem that reduces the firm’s incentives to experiment, generating inefficiency. Since competition amplifies this hold-up problem, workers of social groups that face greater informational disadvantages are more likely to remain unemployed as competition increases, increasing discrimination |
| Date: | 2025–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:25/807 |
| By: | Scognamillo, Antonio; Burrone, Sara; Poudel, Dixit; Rub, Abdur; Song, Chun; Munaweera, Thilani; Bandara, Sidath |
| Abstract: | This study examines the impact of the Smart Extension and Efficient Decision-making (S.E.E.D) Hub, an integrated e-extension service implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in rural Sri Lanka. The S.E.E.D Hub aimed to improve agricultural outcomes by delivering geospatially tailored market and weather information, along with farming advisory services, through a user-friendly mobile application. The initiative sought to address key challenges faced by paddy farmers, including production efficiency, risk management, marketing strategies, and food security. The program’s impact was evaluated using a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) involving 2, 200 paddy farmers across 220 Farmer Organizations (FOs), representative of Sri Lanka’s paddy-farming population. The results reveal that the S.E.E.D Hub significantly enhanced access to timely and relevant information, with a 50 percent increase observed among the compliers sub-population, as measured by the Local Average Treatment Effect (LATE). Furthermore, the intervention promoted greater crop diversification and strengthened farmers’ capacity to market rice effectively, signaling potential long-term economic benefits. While the program produced some encouraging results, the absence of statistically significant effects on food security and vulnerability to harvest losses suggests that access to information alone is insufficient to improve resilience related outcomes, underscoring the need for more comprehensive and supportive interventions. Policymakers are encouraged to consider integrating such initiatives with broader support mechanisms, such as access to credit, financial risk mitigation tools, and investments in rural infrastructure, to maximize their impact on agricultural resilience and livelihoods. |
| Keywords: | International Development |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360985 |
| By: | Fadavi, Sara; Famulok, Jakob; Laudenbach, Christine; Lindner, Vincent |
| Abstract: | The reform of the EU's sustainable finance framework, in particular the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), reopens a debate about ESG labels and their alignment with investor preferences and policy objectives. This paper provides novel evidence on the role of ESG exclusion criteria in retail investment decisions. Using survey and experimental data from 1, 174 German retail investors, we show that exclusion-based preferences are central to how investors interpret and use ESG labels. Investors place significantly greater weight on social and governance exclusions than on environmental ones (S > G > E), with human rights, animal welfare, and corruption emerging as dominant concerns. Experimental evidence further demonstrates that only investors with strong altruistic values adjust their portfolios when provided with granular ESG information. Consequently, reforms to the sustainable framework should acknowledge the importance of social and governance exclusions and move towards granular labels, while being aware of the limits of sustainability labelling on the green transition. |
| Keywords: | ESG Exclusion Criteria, Retail Investor Preferences, Sustainable Finance Regulation (SFDR) |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:safepl:334514 |
| By: | Singerman, Ariel; Lence, Sergio H. |
| Abstract: | We collected data on the willingness of row-crop farmers in Argentina to coordinate actions to combat the impact of herbicide-resistant weeds using a framed field economic experiment that elicited farmers’ preferences in the gain and loss domains. This is a highly relevant case study because of the increasingly significant challenge that herbicide resistance poses worldwide as well as due to the increase in private and social costs associated with the market failure resulting from laissez faire. We find that the way the payoff from the decision is framed has a statistically significant impact on the probability that a randomly chosen individual coordinates, but such impact is not economically significant. However, we also find that the aggregation of responses disguises important underlying differences in how individuals responded to changes in the games’ framing. We discovered that a large share of farmers exhibited a type of behavior that could be hypothesized to be induced by time pressure, which has been found to cause reversal of (prospect theory) preferences. When considering the responses that do not show such a reversal —to make the case more favorable for framing — we find that the impact on the probability that a randomly chosen individual coordinates and on the maximum coordination threshold tend to be larger but are still of rather little economic significance. This finding suggests that highlighting the potential benefits of coordination in terms of reducing losses is unlikely to have a major impact to incentivize collective action against herbicide-resistant weeds. |
| Keywords: | Risk and Uncertainty |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360698 |
| By: | Benjamin Sheehan (IUJ Research Institute, International University of Japan); Yingying Zhang Zhang (IUJ Research Institute, International University of Japan) |
| Abstract: | This chapter explores the bidirectional relationship between environmental concern and transhumanism, a philosophy that promotes transcending human biological limitations through technology. Two preliminary experiments reveal critical insights. Specifically, Study 1 shows that exposure to transhumanist concepts increases the perceived importance of technology over nature, which in turn reduces environmental concern and green purchase intent. Study 2 reveals the inverse pattern - heightened environmental concern increases participants f willingness to adopt transhumanist modifications. Together, these findings suggest a potential feedback loop in which transhumanist ideals may erode environmental concern, contributing to environmental degradation, which may subsequently heighten acceptance of transhumanist interventions. This work sheds light on how societies might respond to escalating environmental crises and technological solutions proposed to address them. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Concern, Transhumanism; Nature Connectedness, Technological Optimism, Terror Management Theory, Compensatory Control Theory, Human-technology relations |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iuj:wpaper:ems_2026_01 |
| By: | Melo, Grace; Palma, Marco; Chomali, Laura; Ribera, Luis |
| Abstract: | Being able to accurately predict the marketing effectiveness of product labels is critical for business profitability. Do industry experts (e.g., domain-specific and domain-general marketers) understand and accurately predict which messages appeal most to consumers? There is limited knowledge in this area, specifically around two essential food attributes: health and taste. Consumers perceive health and taste as trade-offs, which makes their reaction to such marketing information challenging to forecast. This study is the first to quantify the extent to which domain-general vs domain-specific experts can accurately predict consumer responses to health and taste information via marketing labels. We conducted three incentivized studies: Study 1 investigated consumer preferences for simple health versus taste labeling messages with actual consumers. Study 2 uncovered industry domain-specific ‘industry experts’ predictions for average consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the messages providing incentives for accuracy. Study 3 employs domain-general ‘marketing experts’ (cross-industry) and evaluates the role of market intelligence in improving consumer valuation forecasts. We found that while both expert types made optimistic predictions that marketing health-related information would effectively increase consumer valuations, consumers did not respond to such information. Moreover, despite exhibiting greater confidence in their predictions than domain-general experts (63% vs 70%), domain-specific industry experts overestimated consumer valuations by 33% relative to the average consumer WTP of $6.80 for an 8 oz. bag of pecans. In contrast, domain-general experts overestimated consumer valuations by only 5%, suggesting possible motivated reasoning among industry-specific experts. Releasing market intelligence to domain-general experts for the baseline valuation (control) improved the accuracy of the forecast for the control, but forecasting inaccuracies for specific labeling messages prevailed. |
| Keywords: | Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360812 |
| By: | Mauricio Ribeiro |
| Abstract: | Economists often rely on people’s choices to infer their preferences. However, inferring preferences from choices becomes problematic when people face unobserved constraints. In this paper, I study how to (cautiously) infer preferences from choices when the choices of the members of a social group are subject to a constraint that we only imperfectly know. When this happens, heterogeneity in the group’s choices, along with more information about the constraint, helps recover the preferences of group members, whereas homogeneity in choices hinders it. I further argue that standard approaches to choice-based welfare analysis can lead to misleading inferences about welfare when there are unobserved social constraints. |
| Date: | 2025–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:25/809 |