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Trust, Information Acquisition and Financial Decisions: A Field Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Sonia Di Giannatale

    (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas)

  • Alexander Elbittar

    (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas)

  • Patricia López Rodriguez

    (Universidad Iberoamericana)

  • María José Roa

    (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas)

Abstract

In this paper we analyze the relationship between financial decisions, information acquisition, and trust. In particular, our hypothesis is that financial transactions depend, among other variables, on the level of trust, reciprocity and association among individuals. Also, individuals’ willingness to acquire and process information relevant to perform financial transactions is related not only to their cognitive abilities, but also to the level of trust they have in the financial institutions. We conducted a field experiment using the trust game, with two important variations, with the partners of an of credit and savings cooperative located in a rural area of México. Our results indicate that those individuals who frequently visit their friends show greater willingness to trust other individuals. In contrast, those individuals who visit their families more regularly show less willingness to reciprocate, while active members of the cooperative show greater reciprocity. Regarding the acquisition of information, we find that just over 2/3 of the participants buy the maximum of pieces of information. However, none of the pieces of information acquired appears to affect the transfers among participants. Possibly for our experimental subjects trust plays an overextended role in financial decision making that makes information acquisition less relevant than it is for other types of individuals making the same sort of decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonia Di Giannatale & Alexander Elbittar & Patricia López Rodriguez & María José Roa, 2010. "Trust, Information Acquisition and Financial Decisions: A Field Experiment," ThE Papers 10/02, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    • Handle: RePEc:gra:wpaper:10/02
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dean S. Karlan, 2005. "Using Experimental Economics to Measure Social Capital and Predict Financial Decisions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1688-1699, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social Networks; Information; Social Preferences; Cooperation; Trust; Reciprocity; Financial Development; Field Experiments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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