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To pay or not to pay: Measuring risk preferences in lab and field

Authors

BRAÑAS GARZA, PABLO ERNESTO, ESTEPA MOHEDANO, LORENZO, JORRAT, DIEGO ANDRÉS

External publication

No

Means

Judgm. Decis. Mak.

Scope

Article

Nature

Científica

JCR Quartile

SJR Quartile

JCR Impact

2.5

SJR Impact

0.983

Publication date

22/09/2021

ISI

000701799300007

Scopus Id

2-s2.0-85116348633

Abstract

Measuring risk preferences using monetary incentives is costly. In the field, it might be also unfair and unsafe. The commonly used measure of Holt and Laury (2002) relies on a dozen lottery choices and payments, which make it time consuming and expensive. It also raises moral concerns as a result of the unequal payments generated by good and bad luck. Paying some but not all subjects may also create tensions between the researcher and subjects. In a pre-registered study in Honduras, Nigeria and Spain, we use a short version of Holt and Laury where we address all three concerns. We find in the field that not paying at all or paying with and without probabilistic rules makes no difference. Our hypothetical and short version makes our measurement of risk cheaper, fairer and safer.

Keywords

risk preferences; Holt Laury; field experiments; monetary payoffs; incentives