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Bridging the Gender Divide: An Experimental Analysis of Group Formation in African Villages

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  • Barr, Abigail
  • Dekker, Marleen
  • Fafchamps, Marcel

Abstract

Assorting on gender is casually observed in developing countries and is now systematically built into many group-oriented development interventions. In this paper we explore the mechanisms underlying the emergent gender assorting, using an experiment in which African villagers could form groups to share risk. We exogenously varied the extent to which grouping arrangements were enforced and, hence, the importance of trust and social enforcement as supports for group formation. Gender assorting was significant and considerable when grouping was perfectly enforced or depended on social enforcement. There was significantly less gender assorting when grouping depended on trust. Exploratory analysis suggests that this reduction in gender assorting may be owing to family ties and co-memberships in gender-mixed religions.

Suggested Citation

  • Barr, Abigail & Dekker, Marleen & Fafchamps, Marcel, 2012. "Bridging the Gender Divide: An Experimental Analysis of Group Formation in African Villages," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 2063-2077.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:40:y:2012:i:10:p:2063-2077
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.04.016
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    Cited by:

    1. Tara McIndoe-Calder, 2011. "Network Effects and Land Redistribution: A Natural Experiment in Zimbabwe," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp352, IIIS.
    2. Chamboko, Richard & Cull, Robert & Giné, Xavier & Heitmann, Soren & Reitzug, Fabian & Westhuizen, Morne Van Der, 2021. "The role of gender in agent banking: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Lahno, Amrei M. & Serra-Garcia, Marta & D’Exelle, Ben & Verschoor, Arjan, 2015. "Conflicting risk attitudes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 136-149.
    4. Klaus Abbink & Asadul Islam & Chau Nguyen, 2016. "Whose voice matters? An experimental examination of women empowerment in microfinance," Monash Economics Working Papers 40-16, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    5. Sergio Currarini & Fernando Vega Redondo, 2010. "Search and Homophily in Social Networks," Working Papers 2010_24, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    group formation; field experiment; social networks; Africa; Zimbabwe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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