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From personalized exchange towards anonymous trade: A field experiment on the workings of the invisible hand

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  • Bulte, Erwin
  • Kontoleon, Andreas
  • List, John
  • Turley, Ty
  • Voors, Maarten

Abstract

The experimental literature has shown the tendency for experimental trading markets to converge to neoclassical predictions. Yet, the extent to which theory explains the equilibrating forces in markets remains under-researched, especially in the developing world. We set up a laboratory in 94 villages in rural Sierra Leone to mimic a real market. We implement several treatments, varying trading partners and the anonymity of trading. We find that when trading with co-villagers average efficiency is somewhat lower than predicted by theory (and observed in different contexts), and markets do not fully converge to theoretical predictions across rounds of trading. When participants trade with strangers efficiency is reduced more. Anonymizing trade within the village does not affect efficiency. This points to the importance of behavioral norms for trade. Intra-village social relationships or hierarchies, instead, appear less important as determinants of trading outcomes. This is confirmed by analysis of the trader-level data, showing that individual earnings in the experiment do not vary with one’s status or position in local networks.

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  • Bulte, Erwin & Kontoleon, Andreas & List, John & Turley, Ty & Voors, Maarten, 2017. "From personalized exchange towards anonymous trade: A field experiment on the workings of the invisible hand," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 313-330.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:133:y:2017:i:c:p:313-330
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.10.014
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    Cited by:

    1. Neelanjan Sircar & Ty Turley & Peter van der Windt & Maarten Voors, 2018. "Know your neighbor: The impact of social context on fairness behavior," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-11, April.
    2. Zhaoyang Liu & Simanti Banerjee & Timothy N. Cason & Nick Hanley & Qi Liu & Jintao Xu & Andreas Kontoleon, 2024. "Spatially coordinated conservation auctions: A framed field experiment focusing on farmland wildlife conservation in China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 106(4), pages 1354-1379, August.
    3. Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw & Nillesen, Eleonora & Mohnen, Pierre & Di Falco, Salvatore, 2023. "Markets and socially responsible behavior: do punishment and religion matter?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 572-593.
    4. Erwin Bulte & Andreas Kontoleon & John List & Ty Turley & Maarten Voors, 2024. "Chief for a Day: Elite Capture and Management Performance in a Field Experiment in Sierra Leone," Natural Field Experiments 00789, The Field Experiments Website.
    5. Brian Albrecht & Omar Al-Ubaydli & Peter Boettke, 2022. "Testing the Hayek hypothesis: Recent theoretical and experimental evidence," Artefactual Field Experiments 00759, The Field Experiments Website.
    6. Róisín Donnelly & Saptarshi Purkayastha & Tatiana S. Manolova & Linda F. Edelman, 2024. "Institutional distance, slack resources, and foreign market entry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(2), pages 194-211, March.
    7. Maarten Voors & Ty Turley & Erwin Bulte & Andreas Kontoleon & John A. List, 2018. "Chief for a Day: Elite Capture and Management Performance in a Field Experiment in Sierra Leone," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(12), pages 5855-5876, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Efficiency; Status; Social relations; Anonymity; Africa; Trade experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D47 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Market Design
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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