The Quarterly Journal of Economics· 2018Q1
Global Evidence on Economic Preferences*
- 1,658citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2018year
Short summary
The Global Preference Survey (GPS) reveals substantial, even larger within-country, heterogeneity in economic preferences (time, risk, reciprocity, altruism, trust) across 80,000 people in 76 countries.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The Global Preference Survey (GPS) collected data on economic preferences from 80,000 people in 76 countries.
- Economic preferences exhibit substantial heterogeneity across countries, with even larger variation within countries.
- Individual preferences correlate with age, gender, cognitive ability, and country-specific factors like religion and agricultural suitability.
- Preferences are linked to economic outcomes, including savings, labor choices, income, entrepreneurship, and conflict frequency.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This article studies the global variation in economic preferences. For this purpose, we present the Global Preference Survey (GPS), an experimentally validated survey data set of time preference, risk preference, positive and negative reciprocity, altruism, and trust from 80,000 people in 76 countries. The data reveal substantial heterogeneity in preferences across countries, but even larger within-country heterogeneity. Across individuals, preferences vary with age, gender, and cognitive ability, yet these relationships appear partly country specific. At the country level, the data reveal correlations between preferences and biogeo-graphic and cultural variables, such as agricultural suitability, language structure, and religion. Variation in preferences is also correlated with economic outcomes and behaviors. Within countries and subnational regions, preferences are linked to individual savings decisions, labormarket choices, and prosocial behaviors. Across countries, preferences vary with aggregate outcomes ranging from per capita income, to entrepreneurial activities, to the frequency of armed conflicts.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2018 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Demography
DemographySocial Sciences