Towards a Behavioural Theory of the Household

2017 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H02498
• Research Institution: National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
• Principal Investigator: Munro Alistair 政策研究大学院大学, 政策研究科, 教授 (10515654)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: household / experiments / Japan / Uganda / behavioural economics / intra-household

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In FY2017, I first consulted with colleagues at the University of East Anglia, UK and then I did a preliminary on-line experiment, recruiting about 1,000 people to examine their attitudes to household decisions. This was followed by a small-scale pilot experiment with married couples at various locations in Koto-ku, Tokyo. Piloting a real-life experiment in Japan was delayed by the need to find suitable venues for families. There is currently a shortage of childcare in Tokyo which meant we struggled to find locations. This delayed the research somewhat. Because of this delay 1m yen was carried over to FY2018. The carryover in FY2018 was used to consult again with research colleagues outside Japan and then to plan and organize the experiment in Uganda. During this period I also worked on the development of new theory for households.

Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

The original plan was to design an experiment and do preliminary work in Japan and then use the ideas from that work to consult with colleagues from the University of East Anglia, UK, then design and conduct an experiment in Uganda. I did a preliminary on-line experiment, but piloting a real-life experiment in Japan was delayed by the need to find suitable venues. Couples often have children and they need some help with childcare. However, there is currently a shortage of childcare in Tokyo and so it was difficult to book facilities. Because of this 1,000,000 yen was carried over to FY2018. In FY2018 the carryover was used to consult with research colleagues and to organize the experiment in Uganda. This means the research is back on track.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

The plan is to conduct the actual experiment in Eastern Uganda with married couples to test various ideas about how couples process information and how this compares to how unrelated teams and individuals behave. The design is motivated by Bayes Theorem. In addition, I will continue to disseminate the results of work done so far and to consult with colleagues at the University of East Anglia and elsewhere about the research. Finally, I will continue to work on the development of new theory.