Do Norm Sources Matter? Experimental Evidence from Belgium

Details

Supervisors

Johnen, Johannes ; D'Adda, Giovanna

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences économiques, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enThis thesis tests whether regional descriptive norms affect charitable giving, and whether the effect depends on whether the norm originates from the participant’s own region or another. In a randomized online experiment, Belgian participants allocated a hypothetical €100 endowment after exposure to a control condition or to a descriptive norm drawn from administrative tax data and attributed to Flanders or Wallonia. In-group and out-group exposure were constructed by crossing the randomly assigned norm source with pre-treatment region of residence. The norm value was held nearly equal across regions to isolate the identity of the source from its magnitude. Exposure to a regional norm did not detectably shift donations. The in- group premium was statistically indistinguishable from zero, and regional identification did not moderate that premium. The out-group norm did not reduce giving below the control baseline; its estimated effect was positive, and the data rule out contrastive effects larger than about five euros. Participants registered the norm as differing from their prior beliefs in the expected direction, but this was not accompanied by a behavioral response. The study is an underpowered pilot, and the identity contrast is identified on the Walloon subsample, so the test concerns Walloon responses to a Flemish out-group norm; the symmetric Flemish-side test remains open. Its contribution is to show that, in this setting, an out-group norm produced no sign of active resistance.