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Income Hiding and Informal Redistribution: A Lab in the Field Experiment in Senegal

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  • Marie Boltz

    (Sciences Po - Sciences Po, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Karine Marazyan

    (IEDES - Instutut d'Études du Développement de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

  • Paola Villar

    (INED - Institut national d'études démographiques, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper estimates the hidden cost of informal redistribution in urban Senegal. It is based on a lab-in-the-field experiment combined with a small-scale randomized controlled trial. We show that two-thirds of the experiment participants are ready to forgo up to 14% of their lab gains to keep them private. When they are given the opportunity to hide, they decrease by 27% the share of gains they transfer to kin and increase health and personal expenses. This is the first paper to identify the individual cost of informal redistribution and to relate it to real-life resource-allocation decisions in a controlled setting.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie Boltz & Karine Marazyan & Paola Villar, 2016. "Income Hiding and Informal Redistribution: A Lab in the Field Experiment in Senegal," Working Papers halshs-01157710, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01157710
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01157710v2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    lab experiment in the field; Sub-Saharan Africa; informal redistribution; income observability; intra-family resource allocations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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