Delayed effects on migration intentions in an information provision experiment in Ghana

Sarah Frohnweiler, Bernd Beber and Cara Ebert

No 1050, Ruhr Economic Papers from RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen

Abstract: We report experimental results from Ghana, where treated subjects received information on regional income differentials. We do not see an effect on migration intentions directly after the intervention, but the effect of the treatment unfolds over time. Eighteen months later, subjects assigned to receive income information are on average significantly less likely to express enthusiasm for moving to another region, because individuals that had inaccurately high expectations about incomes elsewhere compared to their current place of residence are now more likely to want to forgo relocation. Contrary to common claims that effects observed in light-touch information experiments are likely to dissipate quickly, we suggest that some types of content in high-stakes domains such as migration can take time to reverberate and be incorporated into individuals' decision calculus. We also discuss that delayed effects may be uncommonly observed because long-term follow-ups are rare in the absence of short-term effects.

Keywords: Delayed effects; information provision; migration intentions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J31 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-mig
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:rwirep:280422

DOI: 10.4419/96973219

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