I think about you: Group mentality and altruism among farmers

Abstract

Do resource-scarcity information lead individuals to behave generously toward ingroup members? This study aimed to answer this by conducting a field experiment and a lab-in-the-field experiment. The field experiment estimated the effect of resource-scarcity information on the decision of farmers to apply for a new crop program that provided a temporary income subsidy. Specifically, the experiment compared villages where information about the limited number of available spots in the program was circulated to those where no such information was shared. The results indicated that significantly fewer farmers applied in villages where the scarcity information was highlighted. In the lab-in-the-field experiment, farmers were asked to decide whether to participate in a lottery, with the decision framed by scarcity information about the limited number of participants allowed. The findings revealed that when resource-scarcity was made salient, farmers were more likely to sacrifice their own potential benefit to increase the benefit of others identified as ingroup members. However, the study found no evidence of increased generosity toward outsiders. Overall, the results suggest that exposure to resource-scarcity information does not always lead people to focus solely on their own benefit; rather, it may prompt generous behavior when resources are shared among ingroup members.