14 December 2012: Reducing Choice Overload without Reducing Choices

Sudipto Sarangi
Louisiana State University

Abstract:
Previous studies have demonstrated that a multitude of options can lead to choice overload, reducing decision quality. Through controlled experiments, we examine sequential choice architectures that enable the choice set to remain large while potentially reducing the effect of choice overload. A specific tournament-style architecture achieves this goal. An alternate architecture in which subjects compare each subset of options to the most preferred option encountered thus far fails to improve performance due to the status quo bias. Subject preferences over different choice architectures are negatively correlated with performance, suggesting that providing choice over architectures might reduce the quality of decisions.

Date: December 14, 2012
Time: 11:30 A.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room 2
Indian Statistical Institute Delhi Centre,
7, S. J. S. Sansanwal Marg,
New Delhi-110016 (INDIA)

Location:

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7 December 2012: Does female leadership impact on governance and corruption? Evidence from a public poverty alleviation program in Andhra Pradesh, India

Farzana Afridi
Indian Statistical Institute

Abstract:
We exploit the* *nation-wide* *policy of randomly allocating village
council headships to women to identify the impact of female political
leadership on the governance of projects implemented under the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Andhra Pradesh,
India. Using unique data from a primary survey and from a panel of
audit reports on the implementation of projects under the scheme, we
find that the likelihood of inefficiencies and leakages are higher in
village councils reserved for women. These results are explained by
political and administrative inexperience making female headed
councils more vulnerable to bureaucratic capture of power. Our
findings highlight the importance of capacity building and
institutional support to improve the effectiveness of affirmative
action policies and bolster women’s political participation in
developing countries.

Date: December 7, 2012
Time: 11:30 A.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room 2
Indian Statistical Institute Delhi Centre,
7, S. J. S. Sansanwal Marg,
New Delhi-110016 (INDIA)

Location:

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