Economic risk perceptions and willingness to learn about globalization
Edmund Malesky co-designed a field experiment to test whether disadvantaged groups in Vietnam respond to economic risks by searching for information.
Do underprivileged individuals in developing countries seek information on the repercussions of major economic transformations in their localities?
In the American Journal of Political Science article "Economic risk perceptions and willingness to learn about globalization: A field experiment with migrants and other underprivileged groups in Vietnam," Edmund Malesky, professor of political economy and director of the Duke Center for International Development, Niccolò Bonifai, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, and Nita Rudra, professor of government at Georgetown University, challenge existing research that maintains socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals are reluctant to seek information that might help mitigate risk. The authors hypothesized that perceptions of risks associated with global economic shocks can incentivize some disadvantaged individuals to acquire knowledge about their distributional effects.
They designed a field experiment to test whether disadvantaged groups in Vietnam respond to economic risks by searching for information on a new trade agreement with the European Union. While economic risk did not motivate all respondents to seek information about the trade agreement, the experiment showed internal migrants demonstrated a pronounced willingness to do so.
"Our findings help uncover the key role migrants can play in supporting globalization and shared prosperity," the authors wrote.