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Exploring whether behavior in context-free experiments is predictive of behavior in the field: Evidence from lab and field experiments in rural Sierra Leone

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  • Voors, Maarten
  • Turley, Ty
  • Kontoleon, Andreas
  • Bulte, Erwin
  • List, John A.

Abstract

We use a sample of subsistence farmers in Sierra Leone as respondents to compare behavior in a context-free experiment (a standard public goods game) and behavior in the field (a real development intervention). There is no meaningful correlation in behavior across contexts. This casts doubt on the prospect of using lab experiments as “predictors” of behavior in real life.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Economics Letters.

Volume (Year): 114 (2012)
Issue (Month): 3 ()
Pages: 308-311

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Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:114:y:2012:i:3:p:308-311

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolet

Related research

Keywords: Lab games; Field experiments; Community driven development; External validity; Pro-social preferences; Africa;

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  1. Carpenter, Jeffrey P. & Seki, Erika, 2005. "Do Social Preferences Increase Productivity? Field Experimental Evidence from Fishermen in Toyama Bay," IZA Discussion Papers 1697, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  2. Bouma, Jetske & Bulte, Erwin & van Soest, Daan, 2008. "Trust and cooperation: Social capital and community resource management," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 155-166, September.
  3. Susan K. Laury & Laura O. Taylor, 2006. "Altruism Spillovers: Are Behaviors in Context-Free Experiments Predictive of Altruism Toward a Naturally Occurring Public Good?," Experimental Economics Center Working Paper Series 2006-14, Experimental Economics Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
  4. Dean S. Karlan, 2005. "Using Experimental Economics to Measure Social Capital And Predict Financial Decisions," Working Papers 909, Economic Growth Center, Yale University.
  5. Matthias Benz & Stephan Meier, 2006. "Do people behave in experiments as in the field?: evidence from donations," Working Papers 06-8, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
  6. Erwin Bulte & Andreas Kontoleon & John List & Ty Turley & Maarten Voors, 2011. "Using artefactual field experiments to learn about the incentives for sustainable forest use in developing economies," Artefactual Field Experiments 00017, The Field Experiments Website.
  7. John List, 2006. "The behavioralist meets the market: Measuring social preferences and reputation effects in actual transactions," Natural Field Experiments 00300, The Field Experiments Website.
  8. Steven D. Levitt & John A. List, 2007. "What Do Laboratory Experiments Measuring Social Preferences Reveal About the Real World?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(2), pages 153-174, Spring.
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