The Future in Mind: Aspirations and Long-term Outcomes in Rural Ethiopia
BERNARD, Tanguy
International Food Policy Research Institute [Washington] [IFPRI]
Bordeaux Sciences Economiques [BSE]
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International Food Policy Research Institute [Washington] [IFPRI]
Bordeaux Sciences Economiques [BSE]
BERNARD, Tanguy
International Food Policy Research Institute [Washington] [IFPRI]
Bordeaux Sciences Economiques [BSE]
< Reduce
International Food Policy Research Institute [Washington] [IFPRI]
Bordeaux Sciences Economiques [BSE]
Language
EN
Article de revue
This item was published in
CEPR Discussion Paper. 2023
English Abstract
Aspirations have been posited to condition the future-oriented choices of individuals and thus can
play a role in the persistence of poverty or the effort to break out of it. In a randomised control trial
in remote, rural ...Read more >
Aspirations have been posited to condition the future-oriented choices of individuals and thus can
play a role in the persistence of poverty or the effort to break out of it. In a randomised control trial
in remote, rural Ethiopia, we assess the effectiveness of an intervention seeking to change how
poor people perceive their future opportunities, alter their aspirations and, through that, modify
their investment decisions. A treatment group was shown video documentaries about the lives of
individuals from similar communities who escaped poverty through their own efforts and, as such,
can serve as role models. Five years after the screening took place, the treated households
increased future-oriented investments in agriculture and in children’s education. The results can
be explained by the increase in aspirations in terms of lifetime goals. Overall, this research
uniquely provides evidence that a light-touch behavioural intervention can have persistent
economic impacts on a poor population.Read less <
Keywords
Aspirations
English Keywords
Investment
Role models