IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/tcd/tcduee/tep0424.html

Using role models to inspire marginalized groups: A cautionary tale

Author

Listed:
  • Gaia Narciso

    (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin)

  • Carol Newman

    (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin)

  • Finn Tarp

    (Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

We present experimental evidence on the impact of a role model intervention to encourage ethnic minorities in Vietnam to start businesses and diversify income sources. We distinguish between relatable ethnic minority role models and ethnic majority role models allowing us to investigate the effect of increasing the social distance of the role model from the target population while keeping the information content constant. We find that relatability is important for inspiring individuals and inducing behavioral change. Diversification into business activities, however, does not always lead to improved household outcomes, particularly for those exposed to natural shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Gaia Narciso & Carol Newman & Finn Tarp, 2024. "Using role models to inspire marginalized groups: A cautionary tale," Trinity Economics Papers tep0424, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep0424
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/2024/TEP0424.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abhijit Banerjee & Eliana La Ferrara & Victor Orozco, 2019. "Entertainment, Education, and Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 133-137, May.
    2. World Bank, 2009. "Country Social Analysis : Ethnicity and Development in Vietnam - Summary report," World Bank Publications - Reports 3093, The World Bank Group.
    3. Dercon, Stefan & Orkin, Kate & Bernard, Tanguy & Taffesse, Alemayehu, 2014. "The Future in Mind: Aspirations and Forward-Looking Behaviour in Rural Ethiopia," CEPR Discussion Papers 10224, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Eliana La Ferrara, 2019. "Presidential Address: Aspirations, Social Norms, and Development," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(6), pages 1687-1722.
    5. World Bank, 2009. "Country Social Analysis : Ethnicity and Development in Vietnam - Main Report," World Bank Publications - Reports 3094, The World Bank Group.
    6. Tanguy Bernard & Stefan Dercon & Kate Orkin & Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, 2019. "Parental Aspirations for Children's Education: Is There a "Girl Effect"? Experimental Evidence from Rural Ethiopia," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 127-132, May.
    7. Tarp, Finn (ed.), 2017. "Growth, Structural Transformation, and Rural Change in Viet Nam: A Rising Dragon on the Move," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198796961.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carol Newman & Finn Tarp & Gaia Narciso, 2018. "Information, identification, or neither?: Experimental evidence on role models in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 185, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Gaia Narciso & Carol Newman & Finn Tarp, 2018. "Information, identification, or neither?: Experimental evidence on role models in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-185, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul Jr. & Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel, 2021. "Religiosity and parental educational aspirations for children in Kenya," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    4. Saurabh Singhal & Ulrik Beck, 2015. "Ethnic disadvantage in Vietnam: Evidence using panel data," WIDER Working Paper Series 097, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Bui, Tuan & Nguyen, Cuong & Pham, Phuong, 2015. "Poverty among ethnic minorities: transition process, inequality and economic growth," MPRA Paper 68924, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Britta Höllermann & Kristian Näschen & Naswiru Tibanyendela & Julius Kwesiga & Mariele Evers, 2021. "Dynamics of Human–Water Interactions in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania: Insights from Farmers’ Aspirations and Decisions in an Uncertain Environment," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 980-999, August.
    7. Le, Chau & Nguyen, Cuong & Phung, Thu & Phung, Tung, 2014. "Poverty Assessment of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam," MPRA Paper 70090, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Tomoki Fujii & Maki Nakajima & Sijia Xu, 2023. "Teaching in the right context: Textbook supply program, language, and learning," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 797-824, May.
    9. Phuong Huu, Khiem & Bui, Thao, 2024. "The healthcare support program and healthcare utilization of older adults in ethnic minority areas in Vietnam," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    10. Hien Nguyen & Tinh Doan & Tuyen Quang Tran, 2020. "The effect of various income sources on income inequality: a comparison across ethnic groups in Vietnam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 813-834, February.
    11. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2019. "The Impacts of Farmland Expropriation on Vietnam's Rural Households," MPRA Paper 101397, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. World Bank, 2010. "Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change : Vietnam," World Bank Publications - Reports 12747, The World Bank Group.
    13. Annuska Derks & Sarah Turner & Ngô Thúy Hạnh, 2020. "Bastard Spice or Champagne of Cinnamon? Conflicting Value Creations along Cinnamon Commodity Chains in Northern Vietnam," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 51(3), pages 895-920, May.
    14. Pham, Huong Dien, 2017. "Do cultural factors alter the relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare?," TVSEP Working Papers wp-003, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade, Project TVSEP.
    15. Rheinländer, Thilde & Samuelsen, Helle & Dalsgaard, Anders & Konradsen, Flemming, 2010. "Hygiene and sanitation among ethnic minorities in Northern Vietnam: Does government promotion match community priorities?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(5), pages 994-1001, September.
    16. Ahsan Jansson, Cecilia & Patil, Vikram & Vecci, Joe & Chellattan Veettil , Prakashan & Yashodha, Yashodha, 2023. "Locus of Control and Economic Decision-Making: A Field Experiment in Odisha, India," Working Papers in Economics 833, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    17. Trang Thi Thuy Nguyen, 2022. "Ethnic Stereotypes in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Minority Students’ Perspectives," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(2), pages 452-469, June.
    18. Nguyen, Hoa-Thi-Minh & Kompas, Tom & Breusch, Trevor & Ward, Michael B., 2017. "Language, Mixed Communes, and Infrastructure: Sources of Inequality and Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 145-162.
    19. Do Xuan Luan & Nguyen Thanh Vu & Kieu Thi Thu Huong & Duong Hang & Siegfried Bauer, 2016. "Is Access to Agribank Credit an Effective Tool in Improving Household Income? Evidence from the Northern Mountainous Region of Vietnam," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(8), pages 110-110, August.
    20. Michel Beine & Ana Cecilia Montes Vinas & Skerdikajda Zanaj, 2020. "The solution of the immigrant paradox: aspirations and expectations of children of migrants," DEM Discussion Paper Series 20-26, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep0424. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Colette Angelov (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/detcdie.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.