Using role models to inspire marginalized groups: A cautionary tale

Gaia Narciso, Carol Newman and Finn Tarp

No tep0424, Economic Papers from Trinity College Dublin, Economics Department

Abstract: We present experimental evidence on the impact of a role model intervention to encourage ethnic minorities in Vietnam to start businesses and diversify income sources. We distinguish between relatable ethnic minority role models and ethnic majority role models allowing us to investigate the effect of increasing the social distance of the role model from the target population while keeping the information content constant. We find that relatability is important for inspiring individuals and inducing behavioral change. Diversification into business activities, however, does not always lead to improved household outcomes, particularly for those exposed to natural shocks.

Keywords: role models; RCT; ethnic minorities; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D1 D3 I3 Q12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2024-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-sea, nep-tra and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep0424

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