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Valuing the Time of the Self-Employed

Author

Listed:
  • Agness, Daniel
  • Baseler, Travis
  • Chassang, Sylvain
  • Dupas, Pascaline
  • Snowberg, Erik

Abstract

People’s value for their own time is a key input in evaluating public policies: evaluations should account for time taken away from work or leisure as a result of policy. Using rich choice data collected from farming households in western Kenya, we show that households exhibit non-transitive preferences consistent with behavioral features such as loss aversion and self-serving bias. As a result, neither market wages nor standard valuation techniques (such as the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak—BDM—mechanism of Becker et al., 1964) correctly measure participants’ value of time. Using a structural model, we identify the mix of behavioral features driving our choice data. We find that these features distort choices when exchanging cash either for time or for goods. Our model estimates suggest that valuing the time of the self-employed at 60% of the market wage is a reasonable rule of thumb.

Suggested Citation

  • Agness, Daniel & Baseler, Travis & Chassang, Sylvain & Dupas, Pascaline & Snowberg, Erik, 2022. "Valuing the Time of the Self-Employed," CEPR Discussion Papers 17017, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:17017
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    2. Deutschmann, Joshua W. & Duru, Maya & Siegal, Kim & Tjernström, Emilia, 2025. "Relaxing multiple agricultural productivity constraints at scale," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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