Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia

Fatalism is considered pervasive, especially in many poor communities. In this paper, we explore whether fatalistic beliefs have implications for the attitudes and behavior of poor rural households toward investment in the future. To explore the idea of fatalism, we draw inspiration from theories in...

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Main Authors: Bernard, Tanguy, Dercon, Stefan, Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153047
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author Bernard, Tanguy
Dercon, Stefan
Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
author_browse Bernard, Tanguy
Dercon, Stefan
Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
author_facet Bernard, Tanguy
Dercon, Stefan
Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
author_sort Bernard, Tanguy
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Fatalism is considered pervasive, especially in many poor communities. In this paper, we explore whether fatalistic beliefs have implications for the attitudes and behavior of poor rural households toward investment in the future. To explore the idea of fatalism, we draw inspiration from theories in psychology focusing on the role of locus of control and self-efficacy and also from the theoretical framework of aspiration failure as developed in recent economic literature. Using survey data from rural Ethiopia, we find evidence of fatalistic beliefs among a substantial group of rural households, as well as indicators consistent with narrow aspirations gap and low self-efficacy. We also find that such beliefs consistently correlate with lower demand for credit, in terms of loan size, repayment horizon, and productive purposes.
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spelling CGSpace1530472025-11-06T07:22:17Z Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia Bernard, Tanguy Dercon, Stefan Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum efficiency Fatalism is considered pervasive, especially in many poor communities. In this paper, we explore whether fatalistic beliefs have implications for the attitudes and behavior of poor rural households toward investment in the future. To explore the idea of fatalism, we draw inspiration from theories in psychology focusing on the role of locus of control and self-efficacy and also from the theoretical framework of aspiration failure as developed in recent economic literature. Using survey data from rural Ethiopia, we find evidence of fatalistic beliefs among a substantial group of rural households, as well as indicators consistent with narrow aspirations gap and low self-efficacy. We also find that such beliefs consistently correlate with lower demand for credit, in terms of loan size, repayment horizon, and productive purposes. 2011 2024-10-01T13:55:31Z 2024-10-01T13:55:31Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153047 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Bernard, Tanguy; Dercon, Stefan; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum. 2011. Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1101. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153047
spellingShingle efficiency
Bernard, Tanguy
Dercon, Stefan
Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title_full Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title_fullStr Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title_short Beyond fatalism: An empirical exploration of self-efficacy and aspirations failure in Ethiopia
title_sort beyond fatalism an empirical exploration of self efficacy and aspirations failure in ethiopia
topic efficiency
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153047
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