Are religious farmers more risk taking? Empirical evidence from Ethiopia

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There is growing evidence that religiosity affects important socio-economic outcomes. A potential channel through which religiosity affects these outcomes is by shaping individuals’ risk preferences. We combine a lab-in-the-field experiment, survey, and focus-group discussions to investigate the effect of religiosity on risk-taking among rural people in Ethiopia. We find evidence that religious farmers are more risk-taking. The effect is likely driven by the trust/belief in God as the omniscient and just power in determining outcomes under uncertainty. This is further corroborated by results from follow-up focus-group discussions.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAgricultural Economics
Volume53
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)617-632
Number of pages16
ISSN0169-5150
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

ID: 291679697