Role Models or Individual Consulting: The Impact of Personalizing Micro-entrepreneurship Training

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lafortune, Jeanne; Riutort, Juno; Tessada, Jose
• 署名单位: Universidad Adolfo Ibanez; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20170077
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 222-245
• 关键词: field experiment; me

摘要

Using a randomized experiment in Chile, we study the impact role models have in the context of a training program for micro-entrepreneurs. We show that being in a group randomly chosen to be visited by a successful alumnus of the program increases household income one year after, mostly due to increased business participation and business income. We also randomized the provision of personalized consulting sessions vis-a-vis group sessions, and observe similar effects on income, with the role model intervention being significantly more cost-effective and better suited for less experienced businesses.