IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wodepe/v29y2023ics2452292923000012.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

First steps toward building respectful development: Three experiments on dignity in aid in Kenya and the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Wein, Tom
  • Lanthorn, Heather
  • Fischer, Torben

Abstract

Dignity is frequently held up as an important value by those delivering and receiving global development aid. In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework of dignity – the dignity chain–across the global development sector. We operationalize this framework through three pillars, which we label as representation, agency, and equality. We then assess empirically components related to development programs’ funding, design, and outcomes through three pilot experiments: First, we examine how US citizens value respectful development in their intended charitable giving. We find that potential, individual donors in our sample are not willing to compensate charities for costly efforts to affirm dignity. Second, we examine how US-based non-profit professionals perceive respectful development in their work. We find development professionals state willingness to take pay cuts or serve fewer recipients if that means enhanced dignity efforts of their organizations. Third, we examine what difference small acts of respect for dignity in the research process make to low-income study participants in Kenya. We find that low-effort actions of the kind that development professionals anticipate their organizations would support do not improve aid recipients’ altruistic behavior, self-efficacy, or well-being. Through these three small-scale survey experiments, we document a high stated commitment to the idea of dignity and uncover questions for further research about how to feasibility and effectively respect dignity across the dignity chain.

Suggested Citation

  • Wein, Tom & Lanthorn, Heather & Fischer, Torben, 2023. "First steps toward building respectful development: Three experiments on dignity in aid in Kenya and the United States," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:29:y:2023:i:c:s2452292923000012
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2023.100485
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292923000012
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.wdp.2023.100485?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefano DellaVigna & Devin Pope, 2018. "Predicting Experimental Results: Who Knows What?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(6), pages 2410-2456.
    2. Arindrajit Dube & Suresh Naidu & Adam D. Reich, 2022. "Power and Dignity in the Low-Wage Labor Market: Theory and Evidence from Wal-Mart Workers," NBER Working Papers 30441, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Hussam,Reshmaan Nahar & Kelley,Erin Munro & Lane,Gregory & Zahra,Fatima, 2022. "The Psychosocial Value of Employment : Evidence from a Refugee Camp," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10138, The World Bank.
    4. Dolan, P. & Hallsworth, M. & Halpern, D. & King, D. & Metcalfe, R. & Vlaev, I., 2012. "Influencing behaviour: The mindspace way," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 264-277.
    5. Fardoust, Shahrokh & Kanbur, Ravi & Luo, Xubei & Sundberg, Mark, 2018. "An evaluation of the feedback loops in the poverty focus of world bank operations," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 10-18.
    6. Reshmaan Hussam & Erin M. Kelley & Gregory Lane & Fatima Zahra, 2022. "The Psychosocial Value of Employment: Evidence from a Refugee Camp," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(11), pages 3694-3724, November.
    7. Tessa Hochfeld & Sophie Plagerson, 2011. "Dignity and Stigma among South African Female Cash Transfer Recipients," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(6), pages 53-59, November.
    8. Indrajit Roy, 2013. "Development as Dignity: Dissensus, Equality and Contentious Politics in Bihar, India," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 517-536, December.
    9. Miriam Teschl & Flavio Comim, 2005. "Adaptive Preferences and Capabilities: Some Preliminary Conceptual Explorations," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 63(2), pages 229-247.
    10. Shapiro, Jeremy, 2019. "The impact of recipient choice on aid effectiveness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 137-149.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pracht, Wyatt & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob, 2023. "The Impacts of an Employment Offer on the Aspirations of Rural Youth: Experimental Evidence from Kenya," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335612, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Ibanez, Ana Maria & Rozo, Sandra V. & Traettino, Salvador, 2023. "More Benefits, Fewer Children: How Regularization Affects Immigrant Fertility," IZA Discussion Papers 16170, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Maximilian Kasy & Lukas Lehner, 2023. "Employing the Unemployed of Marienthal: Evaluation of a Guaranteed Job Program," CESifo Working Paper Series 10394, CESifo.
    4. Arlen Guarin & Juliana Londoño-Vélez & Christian Posso, 2023. "Reparations as Development? Evidence from Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict," Borradores de Economia 1236, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    5. Swati Dhingra & Fjolla Kondirolli, 2023. "Jobless and Stuck: Youth Unemployment and COVID-19 in India," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 71(3), pages 580-610, September.
    6. Lehner, Lukas & Kasy, Maximilian, 2022. "Employing the unemployed of Marienthal: Evaluation of a guaranteed job program," INET Oxford Working Papers 2022-29, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    7. Kasy, Maximilian & Lehner, Lukas, 2023. "Employing the Unemployed of Marienthal: Evaluation of a Guaranteed Job Program," IZA Discussion Papers 16088, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Alexander Ahammer & Analisa Packham, 2022. "Disability Insurance Screening and Worker Outcomes," Upjohn Working Papers 22-375, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    9. Amorim, Guilherme & Britto, Diogo & Fonseca, Alexandre & Sampaio, Breno, 2024. "Job Loss, Unemployment Insurance, and Health: Evidence from Brazil," IZA Discussion Papers 16790, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Elice, Paola & Martínez Flores, Fernanda & Reichert, Arndt R., 2023. "Religious terrorism, forced migration, and women's empowerment: Evidence from the Boko Haram insurgency," Ruhr Economic Papers 1044, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Lillemo, Shuling Chen, 2014. "Measuring the effect of procrastination and environmental awareness on households' energy-saving behaviours: An empirical approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 249-256.
    12. Arroyos-Calvera, Danae & Covey, Judith & McDonald, Rebecca, 2023. "Are distributional preferences for safety stable? A longitudinal analysis before and after the COVID-19 outbreak," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    13. Jäger, Simon & Roth, Christopher & Roussille, Nina & Schoefer, Benjamin, 2021. "Worker Beliefs about Outside Options," IZA Discussion Papers 14963, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Katherine Casey & Rachel Glennerster & Edward Miguel & Maarten Voors, 2023. "Skill Versus Voice in Local Development," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(2), pages 311-326, March.
    15. Gallipoli, Giovanni & Alonzo, Davide, 2023. "The Changing Value of Employment and Its Implications," CEPR Discussion Papers 17943, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Ulriksen, Marianne S. & Plagerson, Sophie, 2014. "Social Protection: Rethinking Rights and Duties," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 755-765.
    17. Da Ke, 2021. "Who Wears the Pants? Gender Identity Norms and Intrahousehold Financial Decision‐Making," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(3), pages 1389-1425, June.
    18. Daniel Nettle & Kenneth Nott & Melissa Bateson, 2012. "‘Cycle Thieves, We Are Watching You’: Impact of a Simple Signage Intervention against Bicycle Theft," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(12), pages 1-5, December.
    19. Griffith, Rachel & O'Connell, Martin & Smith, Kate & Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Vermeulen, Frederic, 2017. "A new year, a new you? Heterogeneity and self-control in food purchases," CEPR Discussion Papers 12499, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Jaspersen, Johannes G., 2022. "Convex combinations in judgment aggregation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 299(2), pages 780-794.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:29:y:2023:i:c:s2452292923000012. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/world-development-perspectives .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.