Essays in applied microeconomics
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This dissertation contains three papers in applied microeconomics. The first paper, is motivated by the observation that welfare programs are often implemented in-kind to promote outcomes that might not be realized under cash transfers. I use a randomized controlled trial of the Mexican government's Food Assistance Program ('PAL') to test whether this form of paternalism is necessary, comparing precisely measured consumption and health outcomes under both in-kind food and cash transfers. While other justifications for in-kind transfers may certainly apply, I find minimal evidence supporting the paternalistic one in this context. The second paper is motivated by the fact that students who would benefit from college may choose not to attend if they are unaware of all costs and benefits involved. I present evidence from the an information and awareness program - "GO Centers" - that shows such information does indeed increase college applications and enrollments. These results have important policy implications, suggesting that a relatively cheap intervention can induce investment in human capital by reducing informational asymmetries. The third and final paper presents evidence from a field experiment on the impact of inter-group competition on intra-group contributions to a public good. Solicitation postcards were mailed to political donors which contained either (i) past donation information about members of their own party (ii) past donation information about member of the competing party, or (iii) no past donation information. I show that both treatments increased donation rates and amounts, with a stronger effect when information was given about the competing party. This shows that competitive motives can help overcome the free-rider problem and can also be more profitable than the cooperative one in certain fund-raising situations.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Cunha, Jesse Martin |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Economics |
| Primary advisor | De Giorgi, Giacomo |
| Thesis advisor | De Giorgi, Giacomo |
| Thesis advisor | Hoxby, Caroline Minter |
| Thesis advisor | Jayachandran, Seema |
| Thesis advisor | Pistaferri, Luigi |
| Advisor | Hoxby, Caroline Minter |
| Advisor | Jayachandran, Seema |
| Advisor | Pistaferri, Luigi |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Jesse M. Cunha. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Economics. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 2010. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2010 by Jesse Martin Cunha
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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