Do Advisors’ Status and Identity Shape Adherence to Advice?

Lata Gangadharan (), Pushkar Maitra (), Joseph Vecci (), Prakashan Chellattan Veettil () and Marie Claire Villeval ()
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Lata Gangadharan: Department of Economics, Monash University
Pushkar Maitra: Department of Economics, Monash University
Joseph Vecci: Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Prakashan Chellattan Veettil: Department of Sustainable Impact, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), NAS Complex, Pusa Campus, New Delhi
Marie Claire Villeval: CNRS, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Université Jean-Monnet Saint-Etienne, Emlyon Business School, GATE, 35 rue Raulin, F-69007, Lyon, France

No 2526, Working Papers from Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon

Abstract: This study examines whether adherence to advice depends on an advisor’s identity and status beyond message content. Using a survey experiment with over 3000 farmers in India, we find that individuals are more likely to follow advice in a social dilemma game when it comes from high-status or in-group advisors, even when the advice diverges from prevailing norms. Admired role models can attenuate the influence of status and identity, though their beneficial effect is not universal. Our experimental findings align with evidence from an agricultural advisory program involving the same participant sample, highlighting the broader real-world relevance of these patterns.

Keywords: Advice; Social learning; Status; Group identity; Survey experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D83 D91 O13 Q16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur
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