| Abstract: |
This paper investigates whether and the extent to which the Fukushima nuclear
accident 2011 affected human behavior based on a natural experiment with the
Japanese Professional Baseball League. Comparing the duration of games in the
2010 and 2011 seasons reveals the following. (1) The duration of a game in the
2011 season was shorter than that in 2010, especially during the summer when
Japan was experiencing an electricity shortage. (2) The duration of a game
played on a holiday is longer than that played on a workday in 2011, whereas
there is no difference between a holiday and workday game in 2010. (3) The
greater the distance between Fukushima and the location the game is played,
the longer the duration of the game in 2011. This was not observed in 2010.
These findings imply that a nuclear accident increased the incentive of
baseball players to engage in successful collective action to save electricity
by decreasing the duration of a game, especially when the probability of an
electricity shortage was high. |