Θ The cultural transmission of trust norms: Evidence from a lab in the field on a natural experiment

Elira Karaja and Jared Rubin

Journal of Comparative Economics, 2022, vol. 50, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: We conduct trust games in three villages in a northeastern Romanian commune. From 1775–1919, these villages were arbitrarily assigned to opposite sides of the Austrian and Ottoman/Russian border despite being located seven kilometers apart. This plausibly exogenous border assignment affected local institutions and late-18th century migration in a manner that likely also affected trust. Conditional on trust norms being affected by these centuries-old historical circumstances, our experimental design tests the degree to which such norms are transmitted intergenerationally. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we find that participants on the Austrian side that also have family roots in the village are indeed more likely to trust outsiders.

Keywords: Trust; Outgroup trust; Trust game; Culture; Cultural transmission; Natural experiment; Field experiment; Laboratory experiment; Norms; Romania; Austria; Ottoman Empire; Habsburg Empire (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 C93 N33 O17 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: The Cultural Transmission of Trust Norms: Evidence from a Lab in the Field on a Natural Experiment (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:50:y:2022:i:1:p:1-19

DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2021.07.003

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