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Exploring gendered behavior in the field with experiments: Why public goods are provided by women in a Nairobi slum

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  • Greig, Fiona
  • Bohnet, Iris

Abstract

Women, and particularly women in all-female groups, appear to be especially adept at providing public goods in developing countries. We use a one-shot Public Goods game to explore the effect of sex and a group's sex composition on the voluntary provision of public goods in a Nairobi slum. Sex heterogeneity hurts the voluntary provision of public goods because women--but not men--contribute less in mixed-sex than same-sex groups. Women contribute as much as men in same-sex groups. This result is driven by women's pessimism and men's optimism about others' contributions in mixed-sex groups rather than by gendered social preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Greig, Fiona & Bohnet, Iris, 2009. "Exploring gendered behavior in the field with experiments: Why public goods are provided by women in a Nairobi slum," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 70(1-2), pages 1-9, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:70:y:2009:i:1-2:p:1-9
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    Cited by:

    1. François Cochard & Hélène Couprie & Astrid Hopfensitz, 2018. "What if women earned more than their spouses? An experimental investigation of work-division in couples," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 21(1), pages 50-71, March.
    2. repec:eee:wdevel:v:103:y:2018:i:c:p:216-225 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Meier zu Selhausen, Felix, 2016. "Women's empowerment in Uganda: colonial roots and contemporary efforts, 1894-2012," Economics PhD Theses 0715, Department of Economics, University of Sussex.
    4. James Fearon & Macartan Humphreys, 2017. "Why do women co-operate more in women’s groups?," WIDER Working Paper Series 163, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Leonardo Becchetti & Pierluigi Conzo & Giacomo Degli Antoni, 2015. "Public disclosure of players’ conduct and common resources harvesting: experimental evidence from a Nairobi slum," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 45(1), pages 71-96, June.
    6. repec:msm:wpaper:2014/20 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Bjuggren, Per-Olof & Nordström, Louise & Palmberg, Johanna, 2015. "Efficiency of Female Leaders in Family and Non-Family Firms," Ratio Working Papers 259, The Ratio Institute.

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