Believing in Oneself: Can Psychological Training Overcome the Effects of Social Exclusion?

Sayantan Ghoshal, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra and Sanchari Roy
Additional contact information
Sayantan Ghoshal: Glasgow University
Smarajit Jana: Durbar University
Anandi Mani: University of Warwick
Sandip Mitra: ISI Kolkata

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: This paper examines whether psychological empowerment can mitigate mental constraints that impede efforts to overcome the effects of social exclusion. Using a randomized control trial, we study a training program specifically designed to reduce stigma and build self-efficacy among poor and marginalized sex workers in Kolkata, India. We find positive and significant impacts of the training on self-reported measures of efficacy, happiness and self-esteem in the treatment group, both relative to the control group as well as baseline measures. We also find higher effort towards improving future outcomes as measured by the participants’ savings choices and health-seeking behaviour, relative to the control group. These findings highlight the need to account for psychological factors in the design of antipoverty programmes.

Keywords: social exclusion; self-efficacy; self-esteem; future-orientation; sex workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-exp and nep-hap
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cge:wacage:152

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