Does speaking order matter for equality of participation during meetings? Results from experiments with Malawian farmers
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2024
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Economics
Language
en
Pages
54+3
Series
Abstract
In developing countries, the selection of public investments and projects has been continuously delegated to community-based meetings. At the same time, verbal communication, which takes place during these meetings, is sequential by nature. This thesis investigates how changes in the order in which individuals speak in a sequence affect their quality of participation during collective decisions. I use data collected during laboratory experiments performed with 71 groups of farmers in central Malawi in 2015 and 2016. In order to collectively decide on a good to be financed, farmers were randomly assigned with a speaking order, and following this random order, each individual was asked to provide a public and verbal suggestion about his/hers preferred investment option. I find that farmers who are assigned to early speaking positions are more likely to provide suggestions in the sequences, as opposed to remaining silent. They are also more likely to provide new suggestions, instead of conforming to the choices of previous speakers. Overall, I find no significant differences in the effects of speaking early between the marginalized - including non-leaders, the least educated, females, the poor, and individuals with no iron sheets in their dwelling - and other individuals. JEL codes: D71, D72, D91, O12.Description
Thesis advisor
Stryjan, MiriKeywords
collective decision-making, social influence, direct participation, community-based meetings