【主题】The Backfire of Peer Pressure in Education
【报告人】邓卫广（湖南大学经济与贸易学院）
【时间】6月16日（星期二）2:00-3:30 PM
【参会链接】https://zoom.com.cn/j/96685439827（密码：159578）
【语言】英文
【摘要】Information is crucial in economic decision making and has been extensively used for policy purposes (e.g. nudges). However, as shown by many previous studies, providing more information does not always lead to better outcomes. In a field experiment we test how different information structures influence students' productivity (measured by academic achievements). We implement several randomized treatments along two main dimensions in two introductory level economic courses when the midterm grades are released to students. The first dimension is the availability of ranking information (exact ranking or ranking category for scholarships) and the second dimension is publicity of the ranking information. To our surprise, compared with the baseline (midterm grade released privately to students without ranking information), all treatments adversely affect the students' performance in their final examinations and some of the treatment effects are statistically significant. With heterogeneity analysis, we find that the information treatments have slightly positive but insignificant effects on those better ranked students (top 40% according to their midterm grades). On the contrary, the information treatments cause much larger and statistically significant negative effects on lower ranked students (bottom 60% according to their midterm grades). Using self-reported survey answers, we find that students who receive the information treatment and ranked in the bottom 60% spend significantly less time to study and prepare for the final examination. This finding suggests that the adverse effect of the treatment was due to possible disappointment aversion. We also analyze the treatment effects on students' final ranking that determine their scholarship. For those who ranked low and belong to the treatment groups, they are significantly less likely to move up to upper ranking categories (i.e. to receive scholarships). This further reveals that students mistakenly shirk from studying due to the extra information they receive.
【论文】暂无
【报告人简介】湖南大学经济与贸易学院副教授。本科研究生毕业于中山大学，2014年博士毕业于香港中文大学经济系。主要研究兴趣是劳动经济学、行为实验经济学、微观应用计量。目前主要研究方向为：劳动力市场歧视、孝文化、同群效应、人力资本。近年在Journal of Population Economics、China Economic Review、《经济研究》、《经济学》季刊、《经济科学》、《劳动经济研究》等SSCI和CSSCI 权威期刊发表数篇学术论文。该报告论文合作者为南洋理工大学Jubo Yan。
