6 Feb: Martina Vecchi (QSMS Seminar)

Martina VecchiPresenting Groups and Socially Responsible Production: An Experiment with Farmers at 12:15-13:30 in QA406.

On 6th February 2019 we have Martina Vecchi of the University of Edinburgh visiting us. She is going to give a seminar titled Groups and Socially Responsible Production: An Experiment with Farmers at 12:15-13:30 in room A406  in Building Q, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, 1117 Budapest. Sandwiches will be provided. Please register.

Abstract: With a framed field experiment with 126 farmers in Italy, I study the impact of two dimensions of group decisions on socially responsible production: joint decision-making and shared consequences of the decision. I ask farmers about the purchase of a product for their farm in either an ecological or a non-ecological but profitable variety. I find deciding for a group and sharing consequences of the decision gives a self-serving reason to reduce guilt and reduces socially responsible decisions. I also link farmers’ socially responsible behaviour in a donation decision to the characteristics of farms and farmers. Older subject, females and subjects with preference for environmentally friendly products donate significantly more. Having more employees in the farm instead slightly decreases donations.