What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field

Household economists have recently begun to use laboratory experiments to study behavior between spouses. While several connect inefficiency in the lab to specific constraints on decision-making (e.g. information asymmetries), few connect behavior in the lab to behavior and decision-making structure...

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Autores principales: Hoel, Jessica B., Hidrobo, Melissa, Bernard, Tanguy, Ashour, Maha
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142703
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author Hoel, Jessica B.
Hidrobo, Melissa
Bernard, Tanguy
Ashour, Maha
author_browse Ashour, Maha
Bernard, Tanguy
Hidrobo, Melissa
Hoel, Jessica B.
author_facet Hoel, Jessica B.
Hidrobo, Melissa
Bernard, Tanguy
Ashour, Maha
author_sort Hoel, Jessica B.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Household economists have recently begun to use laboratory experiments to study behavior between spouses. While several connect inefficiency in the lab to specific constraints on decision-making (e.g. information asymmetries), few connect behavior in the lab to behavior and decision-making structures in the field. We study both efficiency and the decision-making process in semi-nomadic pastoralist households in Senegal with detailed survey data, vignettes, and public goods games. We find that inefficiency in a public goods game is correlated with larger gender gaps in milk production, an indicator of productive inefficiency at home. However, households that behave more efficiently in the lab report less collaborative decision-making at home. Our results suggest that lab games between spouses are measuring behavior meaningful to field outcomes, but that collaborative decision-making is not necessary to achieve efficiency.
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spelling CGSpace1427032025-12-08T10:11:39Z What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field Hoel, Jessica B. Hidrobo, Melissa Bernard, Tanguy Ashour, Maha milk production efficiency gender milk dairy farms households decision making Household economists have recently begun to use laboratory experiments to study behavior between spouses. While several connect inefficiency in the lab to specific constraints on decision-making (e.g. information asymmetries), few connect behavior in the lab to behavior and decision-making structures in the field. We study both efficiency and the decision-making process in semi-nomadic pastoralist households in Senegal with detailed survey data, vignettes, and public goods games. We find that inefficiency in a public goods game is correlated with larger gender gaps in milk production, an indicator of productive inefficiency at home. However, households that behave more efficiently in the lab report less collaborative decision-making at home. Our results suggest that lab games between spouses are measuring behavior meaningful to field outcomes, but that collaborative decision-making is not necessary to achieve efficiency. 2021-08-01 2024-05-22T12:10:54Z 2024-05-22T12:10:54Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142703 en https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aay036 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172198 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145999 Open Access Elsevier Hoel, Jessica B.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Bernard, Tanguy; and Ashour, Maha. 2021. What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 188(August 2021): 337-350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.05.019
spellingShingle milk production
efficiency
gender
milk
dairy farms
households
decision making
Hoel, Jessica B.
Hidrobo, Melissa
Bernard, Tanguy
Ashour, Maha
What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title_full What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title_fullStr What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title_full_unstemmed What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title_short What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field
title_sort what do intra household experiments measure evidence from the lab and field
topic milk production
efficiency
gender
milk
dairy farms
households
decision making
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142703
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