In this paper we show that making choices that involve conflicts between self-interest and otherregarding concerns may deplete cognitive resources and willpower and thus reduce individuals' ability to exert self-control. In a lab experiment we use a series of modified dictator games to...

We adopt a mixed methods approach to investigate whether and how heterogeneity in individual returns to a public good affects contributions. We engage smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka in: a one-shot, framed, lab-in-the-field experiment, within which the farmers' rates of return to the public...

Using a specially designed experiment, we investigate whether and how interdependence in risk exposure i.e., risk taking by some members of a potential risk sharing group affecting not only their own but also their co-members risk exposure, affects both risk taking and ex post sharing. The...

The demand for transparency and reliability of information from nonprofit organisations has surged as stakeholders increasingly use nonprofit financial information for contracting and regulating decisions. Contrary to previous studies, we theoretically show that attempts to enhance the...

Improving ways to assess development efforts is an important task. Yet, little has been done to understand the connection between the effectiveness of NGOs and their financial accountability. We use Benford’s Law to assess accuracy of financial reports by a sample of Ugandan NGOs. We find 25%...

We examine the motives that shape an NGO’s decision to diversify the activities it undertakes. We identify two primary motivations, namely the aim to reduce idiosyncratic risks related to future funding and the desire to gain private benefits. We incorporate both in a theoretical framework and...

This paper uses household data to test whether microfinance institutions created by the Malawian government in the mid-1990s under its Poverty Alleviation Programme crowded out access to informal loans. As in several recent studies, the paper adopts policy evaluation techniques to identify a...

Previous studies have shown that individuals are less likely to help a person in need when there are "bystanders" present who can also offer help. We designed an experiment to re-examine this "bystander effect" using modified dictator games. We find lower giving rates in the presence of...