Reading Fiction and Economic Preferences of Rural Youth in Burkina Faso

Michael Kevane

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2020, vol. 68, issue 3, 1041 - 1079

Abstract: A field experiment generated random variation in access to fiction for youth living in villages in southwestern Burkina Faso to test whether reading fiction affects economic preferences. There were few differences in trust, contribution to public goods, risk, and patience between those participating in the reading program and the control group. The results run counter to a supposition that reading fiction would have significant effects on the preferences of readers. Advocates of reading fiction have argued that readers develop empathy, perspective taking, and theory of mind. The null results presented here suggest the relevance of more research on this subject.

Date: 2020
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