Does context matter more for hypothetical than for actual contributions? Evidence from a natural field experiment
Abstract
We investigate the importance of the social context for people’s voluntary contributions to a national park in Costa Rica, using a natural field experiment. Some subjects make actual contributions while others state their hypothetical contribution. Both the degree of anonymity and provided information about the contributions of others influence subject contributions in the hypothesized direction. We do find a substantial hypothetical bias with regard to the amount contributed. However, the influence of the social contexts is about the same when the subjects make actual monetary contributions as when they state theirhypothetical contributions. Our results have important implications for validity testing of stated preference methods: a comparison between hypothetical and actual behavior should be done for a given social context.Download Info
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Paper provided by University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers in Economics with number 251.Length: 19 pages
Date of creation: 19 Apr 2007
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0251
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Postal: Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Box 640, SE 405 30 GÖTEBORG, Sweden
Phone: 031-773 10 00
Web page: http://www.handels.gu.se/econ/
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Related research
Keywords: Environmental valuation; stated preference methods; voluntary contributions; anonymity; conformity; natural field experiment;Other versions of this item:
- Francisco Alpizar & Fredrik Carlsson & Olof Johansson-Stenman, 2008. "Does context matter more for hypothetical than for actual contributions? Evidence from a natural field experiment," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 299-314, September.
- C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
- Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2007-04-28 (All new papers)
- NEP-CBE-2007-04-28 (Cognitive & Behavioural Economics)
- NEP-ENV-2007-04-28 (Environmental Economics)
- NEP-EXP-2007-04-28 (Experimental Economics)
- NEP-RES-2007-04-28 (Resource Economics)
- NEP-SOC-2007-04-28 (Social Norms & Social Capital)
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Carlsson, Fredrik & Kataria, Mitesh & Krupnick, Alan & Lampi, Elina & Löfgren, Åsa & Qin, Ping & Sterner, Thomas & Chung, Susie, 2010.
"The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth - A Multiple Country Test of an Oath Script,"
Working Papers in Economics
473, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
- Fredrik Carlsson & Mitesh Kataria & Alan Krupnick & Elina Lampi & Asa Löfgren & Ping Qin & Thomas Sterner & Susie Chung, 2010. "The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth A Multiple Country Test of an Oath Script," Jena Economic Research Papers 2010-076, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics.
- John List, 2008.
"Introduction to field experiments in economics with applications to the economics of charity,"
Artefactual Field Experiments
00085, The Field Experiments Website.
- John List, 2008. "Introduction to field experiments in economics with applications to the economics of charity," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 203-212, September.
- Juan Camilo C�rdenas, 2009. "Experiments in Environment and Development," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 1(1), pages 157-182, 09.
- Dale Whittington & Vic Adamowicz, 2010.
"The Use of Hypothetical Baselines in Stated Preference Surveys,"
EEPSEA Special and Technical Paper
sp201009s1, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), revised Sep 2010.
- Whittington, Dale & Adamowicz, Wiktor, 2011. "The Use of Hypothetical Baselines in Stated Preference Surveys," Discussion Papers dp-11-11-efd, Resources For the Future.
- Konow, James, 2010. "Mixed feelings: Theories of and evidence on giving," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(3-4), pages 279-297, April.
- Schilizzi, Steven, 2011. "Equity judgments and context dependence: Knowledge, efficiency and incentives," Working Papers 100887, University of Western Australia, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
- Fredrik Carlsson, 2010.
"Design of Stated Preference Surveys: Is There More to Learn from Behavioral Economics?,"
Environmental & Resource Economics,
European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 46(2), pages 167-177, June.
- Carlsson, Fredrik, 2009. "Design of stated preference surveys: Is there more to learn from behavioral economics?," Working Papers in Economics 418, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
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