Poverty and perseverance: The detrimental effect of poverty on effort provision*

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sharafi, Zahra
• 署名单位: Goethe University Frankfurt
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.103040
• 发表日期: 2023
• 关键词: poverty; Effort provision; Non-cognitive skills; Psychology of poverty; adolescents

摘要

Perseverance, known as provision and continuation of effort, is a decisive factor in the accomplishment of all goals. Poverty, however, can impair this crucial skill. In this paper, I analyze the causal effect of poverty on perseverance in an education context with adolescents in Iran. Using a difference-in-differences design to manipulate perceptions of own scarcities and deprivations, I measure adolescents' perseverance while they complete a real-effort task. Results reveal a large and significant negative effect of poverty on perseverance, and consequently, performance. Participants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds exert 25% less effort than those from affluent backgrounds. This study suggests that poverty is one of the possible underlying causes to impair perseverance demonstration in effort-demanding situations.