The Unseen Influence: How Conversational Framing Shapes Efficiency in Dhaka's Rickshaw Fare Negotiations

Nasif Junaid

No 95b72_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Navigating Dhaka's ubiquitous rickshaw system often involves daily fare negotiations, a common yet unpredictable economic interaction. This research investigated whether a subtle shift in passenger communication could enhance the efficiency of these micro-negotiations. Using a quasi-experimental design conducted from March to July 2025 in Bashundhara R/A, the study compared two conversational approaches for a fixed 2-kilometer route: a direct fare request versus one framed with "it's quite close." Findings revealed that the "Framed Approach" significantly reduced negotiation attempts, requiring an average of 2.56 rickshaws hailed compared to 3.04 for the "Direct Approach"—a 15.79% improvement. This highlights how a few well-chosen words can lead to tangible time savings and greater operational efficiency in informal urban economies. The study offers practical insights for commuters and provides real-world validation of behavioral economics principles (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979), specifically framing effects (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981), demonstrating their powerful influence on everyday economic outcomes. The study demonstrates the framing effect's strong influence on daily decision-making and resource allocation (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008) while offering crucial, useful commuter strategies and solid, empirical validation of behavioral economics concepts.

Date: 2025-08-05
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://osf.io/download/688eb672e0fca53995c355ae/

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:95b72_v1

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/95b72_v1

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in SocArXiv from Center for Open Science
Bibliographic data for series maintained by OSF ().