Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence
We conduct an artefactual field experiment with farmers in endogenously formed groups in rural Malawi to investigate social influence in risk taking. Our experiment minimizes influence through social learning and social image channels. Treatments vary whether individuals observe the behavior of a fo...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Williams College
2019
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146999 |
| _version_ | 1855514282313121792 |
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| author | Ambler, Kate Godlonton, Susan Recalde, Maria P. |
| author_browse | Ambler, Kate Godlonton, Susan Recalde, Maria P. |
| author_facet | Ambler, Kate Godlonton, Susan Recalde, Maria P. |
| author_sort | Ambler, Kate |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | We conduct an artefactual field experiment with farmers in endogenously formed groups in rural Malawi to investigate social influence in risk taking. Our experiment minimizes influence through social learning and social image channels. Treatments vary whether individuals observe the behavior of a formally elected leader, an external leader, or a random peer. Results show that peers are most influential, followed by formal leaders, and then external leaders. Exploratory analysis suggests that farmers follow peers because they extract information from their choices and share risks with them; while other forms of social utility are gained from following the example of leaders. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace146999 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Williams College |
| publisherStr | Williams College |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1469992025-12-08T10:06:44Z Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence Ambler, Kate Godlonton, Susan Recalde, Maria P. field experimentation farmers agriculture risk We conduct an artefactual field experiment with farmers in endogenously formed groups in rural Malawi to investigate social influence in risk taking. Our experiment minimizes influence through social learning and social image channels. Treatments vary whether individuals observe the behavior of a formally elected leader, an external leader, or a random peer. Results show that peers are most influential, followed by formal leaders, and then external leaders. Exploratory analysis suggests that farmers follow peers because they extract information from their choices and share risks with them; while other forms of social utility are gained from following the example of leaders. 2019-12-13 2024-06-21T09:10:18Z 2024-06-21T09:10:18Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146999 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.05.022 Open Access Williams College Ambler, Kate; Godlonton, Susan; and Recalde, Maria P. 2019. Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence. Williams College Economics Department Working Paper 24. https://web.williams.edu/Economics/wp/FollowTheLeaderAmblerGodlontonRecalde2019September.pdf |
| spellingShingle | field experimentation farmers agriculture risk Ambler, Kate Godlonton, Susan Recalde, Maria P. Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title | Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title_full | Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title_fullStr | Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title_short | Follow the leader? A field experiment on social influence |
| title_sort | follow the leader a field experiment on social influence |
| topic | field experimentation farmers agriculture risk |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146999 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amblerkate followtheleaderafieldexperimentonsocialinfluence AT godlontonsusan followtheleaderafieldexperimentonsocialinfluence AT recaldemariap followtheleaderafieldexperimentonsocialinfluence |