CeDEx Seminar - Danila Serra (Texas A&M)

This seminar will take place online. Please note that this seminar starts later than usual at 4 pm.

Information, beliefs and anti-corruption activism: Experimental evidence from India

Abstract:

We conduct an online survey experiment in India to test how information about corrupt practices in the health sector and beliefs about others' willingness to fight corruption affect individuals' anti-corruption efforts. In one treatment, we expose subjects to a short informational video, aimed at increasing awareness on how corruption and fraud take place in hospitals in India. In another treatment, we correct individuals' misaligned beliefs about others' willingness to stand up against corruption. In a third treatment, we combine the video and the belief correction interventions. We assess individuals' willingness to engage in anti-corruption actions that differ in their costs and benefits. In particular, we experimentally manipulate whether subjects are given the chance to: (1) make a monetary donation to a local non-profit organization that is fighting corruption in the health sector, (2) sign a petition to help the cause brought forward by the same organization, (3) watch a longer informational video on how to concretely fight corruption with the help of the same non-profit organization, or (4) choose among the three anti-corruption actions.