Abstract

In this project we contribute to the question how - to motivate young citizens to accept responsibility for older citizens and to offer help reliably on a regular basis. In a field experiment a repeated betting commitment device and further micro monetary incentives/commitment devices were randomly assigned to student mentors, who support the learning process of over 50 year old participants of a 10-week smartphone course. We measure the effects of the various motivational tools and commitment devices on the intensity of interaction between student mentors and older mentees as well as the changes in the mentees' smartphone skills.

Keywords

intergenerational cooperation. volunteering, monetary incentives, commitment device, information and communication technologies, older adults

Abstract

Excessive alcohol consumption imposes large costs to society. Already a one-time drinking episode can increase the probability of a variety of harmful events, ranging from serious physical injuries or traffic accidents to vandalism. Nevertheless, alcohol consumption is socially desirable in many situations and previous studies show that individuals even feel pressured to adapt their alcohol consumption to the perceived social drinking norm of their peers. In order to design effective interventions to overcome peer pressure to drink, a crucial first step is to align interventions to a general prevention approach. Should the intervention aim to correct misperceptions of one's own and group-related alcohol consumption, strengthen the individual to resist peer pressure or reduce peer pressure of the whole group? Motivated by a theoretical economic framework of social interactions, we conducted a series of field experiments with endogenously formed peer groups in night club settings (student party, discotheque and bar) to test the effectiveness of these three general prevention approaches. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study aiming to mitigate peer pressure and influence perceived drinking norms while groups actively consume alcohol.

So far 414 subjects participated via 144 groups in our experiment in which each member of a peer group answered a short questionnaire, estimated their own and their peer group’s current alcohol level, performed a cognitive and a motor skill test and conducted a breath alcohol test on arrival and before leaving. Immediately after the first alcohol measurement we randomly assigned each group to one of four conditions to assess how their actual alcohol level and the accuracy of the alcohol level estimates change over time. 

To demonstrate that individuals adapt their drinking behaviour to the average group alcohol level and thus feel peer pressure, we supplied some groups with feedback about their members alcohol level rank and their own rank while other groups randomly did not receive such a feedback. In line with our predictions, we find evidence that individuals with initially high alcohol levels within their groups reduce the growth of their alcohol levels. To examine whether it is effective to strengthen a group member to resist peer pressure or focus on reducing peer pressure at the group level, we introduce a bonus payment to a randomly selected peer that is below the average of its peers at the end. Either a single group member was selected immediately after the first alcohol measurement (ex-ante selection), or the entire group was informed that a random group member is selected after the last alcohol measurement (ex-post selection). We find suggestive evidence that ex-ante and ex-post selected individuals with high initial alcohol levels reduce their growth of alcohol level.

Preliminary results suggest that peer pressure to drink exist since individuals above (below) the average might feel pressured to reduce (increase) their consumption. Both ex-ante and ex-post incentives indicate a preventive effect on groups and individuals that arrive highly alcoholised.

Keywords

Alcohol Prevention, Field Experiment, Peer Pressure, Drinking Norms, Live Feedback

Abstract

In case of massive migration inflows, the integration of immigrants requires not only the provision of public services but also the contribution of the host country’s society. Given that only a limited number of individuals is willing to engage actively but most people are homines reciprocans, we examine the idea that the population’s willingness to support refugees increases as a reciprocal response to refugees’ contributions to society in the form of volunteer activities. By implementing a treatment intervention within a nationwide survey in Germany (N=1637) on the European migrant crisis beginning in 2015, we find that the willingness to support newcomers personally and financially indeed rises significantly. Importantly, this result also holds for a subgroup which is vital for the overall integration process: those who have not been in contact to refugees before. To observe not only a change in stated preferences but also in actual behavior, we conducted two additional experiments on a smaller scale ―which both confirm our findings.

Keywords

Gift-exchange, reciprocity, refugees, integration 

Abstract

Although several recruiting campaigns have been initiated to attract more men for early education to supply the increasing demand for childcare, the proportion of men remains low. We conducted two field experiments to test for gender-based discrimination in the childcare market. 

In experiment 1, we sent applications for 626 private childcare jobs throughout Germany and investigate whether men benefit from an apprenticeship, parent recommendations or own parenthood. Applications by men, independent of occupational benefits, received significantly fewer responses, fewer positive messages and fewer opportunities to get in contact with parents than female counterparts without any occupational information. Our data suggest that parents seem to have a distinct preference for female helpers and the anticipation thereof by prospective male child - care workers may constitute a major obstacle for self-selection into private childcare markets. 

In experiment 2, we adjusted the design to the professional center-based childcare market and varied the applicants’ gender and apprenticeship (social assistant and educator). In line with previous findings showing a non-existence of minority discrimination in labor markets with excess demand, our (very preliminary) results based on 525 matched applications display no gender-based discrimination. The strikingly high response rates express employers’ high effort to challenge the skill shortage in the childcare market.

Keywords

childcare, discrimination, gender

Abstract

Der Zugang zu einer eigenen Wohnung, stellt genauso wie der Aufbau sozialer Kontakte und die Aufnahme einer Beschäftigung, ein wichtiges Ziel im Integrationsprozess Zugewanderter dar. Der hohe Anteil Geflüchteter (mehr als die Hälfte) an den erfassten Wohnungslosen in Deutschland signalisiert jedoch erhebliche Zugangsbarrieren am privaten Wohnungsmarkt. Diskriminierungspraktiken von Vermietern privater Wohnungen können einen Teil dieses Zugangsproblems darstellen und eine Gefahr für das Integrationsziel „eigene Wohnung“ bedeuten. Ausgehend von dieser Problematik wird im vorliegenden Beitrag der aktuelle Forschungsstand zur Diskriminierung Zugewanderter am Mietwohnungsmarkt und potentiell integrationsförderliche Faktoren aus den Bereichen Arbeit und Soziales Umfeld aufgearbeitet und durch die Ergebnisse einer eigenen empirischen Erhebung am deutschen Mietwohnungsmarkt für die Zielgruppe Geflüchteter komplettiert. Mit der Erhebung werden zwei wie folgt motivierte Ziele verfolgt:

1 . Untersuchung der Art und des Ausmaßes möglicher Diskriminierungen Geflüchteter am deutschen Mietwohnungsmarkt. Mehrere Studien finden empirische Evidenz für die Benachteiligung von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund am Wohnungsmarkt. Systematische Unterschiede in den bürgerlichen Einstellungen gegenüber Geflüchteten und Immigranten allgemein, stellen ihre externe Validität für die Geflüchteten als spezielle Zuwanderungsgruppe jedoch in Frage. 

2. Evaluation der Integrationspotentiale von unterschiedlichen Beschäftigungsarten und sozialen Kontakten.

Die Angabe einer Festanstellung wurde in verschiedenen Studien ein positiver Einfluss zugewiesen. Sie ist jedoch für viele Geflüchtete als auch arbeitssuchende Einheimische kurzfristig nicht zu erreichen. Verschiedene Studien stellen einen positiven Einfluss von Immigrant Volunteering und sozialem Kapital von Zuwanderern auf andere Integrationsbereiche (Soziale Integration, Arbeitsmarktintegration) fest. Entsprechende Ergebnisse für den Wohnungsmarkt fehlen.

Im Rahmen der eigenen empirischen Erhebung haben wir acht fiktive Wohnungsinteressentenprofile, vier mit typischen syrischen Namen sowie zusätzlicher Nennung des Fluchthintergrundes und vier mit typischen deutschen Namen, sich auf Mietwohnungsanzeigen einer großen An- und Verkaufsseite im Internet bewerben lassen. Bei den Anschreiben wurde der Beschäftigungsstatus (Arbeitssuchend, Festanstellung, Bundesfreiwilligendienst, gemeinnützige Arbeitsgelegenheit) variiert und alle weiteren relevanten Eigenschaften (z. B. verfügbares Budget, Alter, Geschlecht, Beziehungsstatus) konstant gehalten. Ein Teil der Anschreiben Geflüchteter wurde aus der Perspektive einheimischer Unterstützer*innen versendet.

Die Ergebnisse machen eine deutlich nachteilige Behandlung syrischer Geflüchteter am deutschen Mietwohnungsmarkt sichtbar. Unabhängig vom Berufsstatus erhielten sie signifikant weniger Antworten, positive Antworten und Besichtigungsmöglichkeiten verglichen mit deutschen Wohnungsinteressenten. Weiterhin legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass der Übergang arbeitssuchender Geflüchteter in eine feste, reguläre Beschäftigung auch die Chancen  am Mietwohnungsmarkt verbessert. Ein leichtes, jedoch nicht signifikantes Plus an Antworten, positiven Rückmeldungen und Besichtigungsmöglichkeiten gegenüber arbeitssuchenden Geflüchteten weisen auch die Ergebnisse für geflüchtete Wohnungsinteressenten im Bundesfreiwilligendienst aus. Trotz der ähnlichen Tätigkeitsinhalte reagierten Vermieter mit signifikant mehr positiven Antworten auf Anfragen von Wohnungsinteressenten im Bundesfreiwilligendienst als auf Anfragen Tätiger in gemeinnützigen Arbeitsgelegenheiten. Neben dem gemeinnützigen Tätigkeitsinhalt scheinen Vermieter auch die Freiwilligkeit der Tätigkeit bei der Auswahl geeigneter Mieter zu berücksichtigen. Ob die Kontaktaufnahme zu Vermietern über Geflüchtete selbst oder einen einheimischen Unterstützer vorteilhafter ist, hängt von der Konstellation aus Beschäftigung des Geflüchteten und dem Geschlecht der unterstützenden Person ab. Ist der Geflüchtete Wohnungsinteressent arbeitssuchend und wird von einer weiblichen Helferin unterstützt, finden wir höhere Antwortraten verglichen zu Interessenten ohne Helfer. Im Falle einer festen, regulären Beschäftigung stellen wir eine stark negative Wirkung der Kontaktanbahnung durch männliche einheimische Helfer auf das Antwortverhalten von Vermietern fest. Die positive Wirkung der Festanstellung wird hierdurch konterkariert.

Keywords

refugees; integration; discrimination; housing market; volunteering program; labor market integration; social contact.

Abstract

Although prosocial activities yield positive returns due to indirect reciprocity in form of public recognition, reputation and appreciation by others, the altruistic motivation behind the engagement may matter more than the actual activity itself. To empirically test if the active decision into a charitable engagement matters for positive indirect reciprocity, we conducted a natural field experiment measuring landlords’ behavior in the German Housing market with two real prosocial alternatives to regular employment, namely engaging in the public volunteering service (PVS) or engaging in a direct employment program (DEP). Although both alternatives contain very similar work settings, PVS is voluntarily and DEP is often advised by the employment agency. By creating four identical fictitious applicants who only differed in their occupation status, in fact job seeking, permanent employed, PVS, DEP and measuring the response behavior of landlords, we are able to empirically investigate employment status discrimination and test for differences if a prosocial engagement was self-chosen or advised.

Analyzing the results, we find clear occupational-driven effects. Applicants with a permanent employment get the most and most promising answer from landlords whereas job seekers the least ones. Compared to job seekers, PVS applicants receive on average 16.89 (p = 0.001) percentage points more responses of landlords whereas applicants doing prosocial activities as part of DEP receive on average 11.18 (p = 0.001) percentage points less responses from landlords. The effects stay statistically and economically the same for the response categories ‘further contact’ and ‘visitation opportunity’. Although both social activities are charitable and contain similar prospects, the results indicate that it matters for landlords’ recognition that the activity is self-chosen instead of advised. Furthermore, we find no significant difference between PVS and permanent employed applicants in visitation opportunities which indicates that unemployed individuals can avoid disadvantages thereof on the housing market by engaging in PVS activities compared to regular occupations. 

In a second wave, we conducted another field experiment at the rental housing market that allows us to compare the response rates of self-chosen and advised selection within each prosocial alternative (PVS, DEP). In line with the first waves’ results we find significant better response outcomes for applicants that mentioned a voluntary participation in PVS respectively DEP compared to their counterparts that participate on advice.

The results do not only show job-related discrimination on the housing market and provide evidence for future labor market policies and anti-discrimination laws, they also show that the prosocial intention matters for indirect positive reciprocity in the field. 

Keywords

discrimination, field experiment, housing market, indirect reciprocity, labor market program, unemployment, prosocial intentions.

Abstract

While the sharing economy is growing rapidly, the research is lagging behind. As the meta-defining key factor, many scholars accredit trust as the currency of the sharing economy. In this paper, we test in the emerging ride-share market characterized by comparably high levels of risk and uncertainty about the provided service, for varying factors driving trust using a factorial design experiment (1875 completed surveys). We create car sharing ads and vary drivers’ gender, age, relationship status, driving safety and the number of passengers. By letting the participants rate driver’s purchase intention, maximum willingness to pay and trustworthiness we are able to shed causal light into mediating factors that drive perceived trustworthiness. Contrary to previous findings, our results indicate that female drivers are clearly favored, compared to their male counterparts in the ride-sharing market. The effect is mainly driven by the higher rated trustworthiness of female drivers.

Keywords

trust, ride sharing, discrimination, gender.