Social proximity and misinformation: Experimental evidence from a mobile phone-based campaign in India

We study how social proximity between the sender and the receiver of information shapes the effectiveness of preventive health behaviour campaigns and the persistence of misinformation. We implement a field experiment among a representative sample of slum residents in two major Indian cities characterized by Hindu-Muslim tensions. We show that informative messages are effective at improving evidence-based behavior, but not non-evidence-based behavior. These findings do not differ by social proximity, signalled by religion. However, when sender and receiver share the same religion, the intervention significantly reduces misinformation carrying in-group salience, highlighting the role of social proximity in fighting misinformation. (JEL codes: C93; D91; I12; I15; O12

Interdisciplinary design methodology for systems of mechatronic systems focus on highly dynamic environmental applications

This paper discusses a series of research challenges in the design of systems of mechatronic systems. A focus is given to environmental mechatronic applications within the chain “Renewable energy production - Smart grids - Electric vehicles”. For the considered mechatronic systems, the main design targets are formulated, the relations to state and parameter estimation, disturbance observation and rejection as well as control algorithms are highlighted. Finally, the study introduces an interdisciplinary design approach based on the intersectoral transfer of knowledge and collaborative experimental activities

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The matrix partial orderings considered are: (1) the star ordering and (2) the minus ordering or rank subtractivity, both in the set of m X n complex matrices, and (3) the Lowner ordering, in the set of m X m matrices. The problems discussed are: (1) inheriting certain properties under a given ordering, (2) preserving an ordering under some matrix multiplications, (3) relationships between an ordering among direct (or Kronecker) and Hadamard products and the corresponding orderings between the factors involved, (4) orderings between generalized inverses of a given matrix, and (5) preserving or reversing a given ordering under generalized inversions. Several generalizations of results known in the literature and a number of new results are derived

Microfinance at the Margin: Experimental Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina

We use an RCT to analyse the impact of microcredit on poverty reduction in Bosnia. The study population are loan applicants that would normally have just been rejected based on regular screening. We find that access to credit allowed borrowers to start and expand small-scale businesses. Households that already had a business and where the borrower had more education ran down their savings, presumably to complement the loan and to achieve the minimum amount necessary to expand their business. In less-educated households, however, consumption went down. A key new result is that there was a substantial increase in the labor supply of young adults (16-19 year olds). This was accompanied by a reduction in school attendance

Poverty and Wellbeing Impacts of Microfinance : What Do We Know?

Over the last 35 years, microfinance has been generally regarded as an effective policy tool in the fight against poverty. Yet, the question of whether access to credit leads to poverty reduction and improved wellbeing remains open. To address this question, we conduct a systematic review of the quantitative literature of microfinance’s impacts in the developing world, and develop a theory of change that links inputs to impacts on several welfare outcomes. Overall, we find that the limited comparability of outcomes and the heterogeneity of microfinance-lending technologies, together with a considerable variation in socio-economic conditions and contexts in which impact studies have been conducted, render the interpretation and generalization of findings intricate. Our results indicate that, at best, microfinance induces short-term dynamism in the financial life of the poor; however, we do not find compelling evidence that this dynamism leads to increases in income, consumption, human capital and assets, and, ultimately, a reduction in poverty

Learning from Poverty: Why Business Schools Should Address Poverty, and How They Can Go About It.

In the past few years, business schools have begun to address poverty issues in their teaching, learning and curricula. While this is a positive development, the arguments for reconfiguring educational programs to address such matters remain undeveloped, with much of the impetus for such endeavors rooted in calls for social responsibility in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the Social Compact, the Principles for Responsible Management Education and benchmarks such as ISO 26000. This article seeks to clarify the pedagogical grounds for integrating poverty issues in management education by examining the intellectual and personal development benefits of doing so. By critically examining four modes of business involvement in poverty reduction, the article shows how such initiatives can be used as intellectual lenses through which to view the complex and often paradoxical interconnections between socioeconomic and environmental systems. It is thus concluded that a consideration of poverty issues is not a marginal matter, but is key to grasping the 21st century complexities of global business and management

The Contribution of the Microfinance Model to Bosnia's Post-War Reconstruction and Development: How to Destroy an Economy and Society Without Really Trying

Academic analyses and impact evaluation studies produced by the international development community almost all conclude that the microfinance model has made an important net contribution to the economic and social recovery of post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter Bosnia). However, as we now are finding is also the case in many other countries, these far-reaching claims are almost entirely based upon often deliberately flawed impact evaluation methodologies and inappropriate success criteria. This article provides an alternative assessment of the available evidence accumulated to date which, in our opinion, actually shows that the microfinance model has made a distinctly negative contribution to Bosnia's reconstruction and development effort. We argue, centrally, that the microfinance model has assisted the Bosnian economy to move to an unsustainable institutional development trajectory marked by the deindustrialisation, informalisation and infantilisation of the enterprise sector. More widely, we argue that the microfinance model in Bosnia has led to a sub-prime-style episode in Bosnia's post-war history, one that has materially benefitted a tiny elite working within and around the microfinance sector whilst simultaneously destroying many of the most important pillars of the Bosnian economy and society. We find that the best possible explanatory framework for what has transpired in postwar Bosnia is contained in the "control fraud" concept developed by William Black

Countering misinformation with targeted messages: Experimental evidence using mobile phones

Widespread misconceptions can be critical, especially in times of crisis. Through a field experiment, we study how to address such wrong or inaccurate beliefs using messages delivered to individual citizens using mobile phones. We focus on misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in a hard-to-reach population – India’s slum residents. We randomly allocate participants to receive voice and video messages introduced by a local citizen, the messenger, and in which medical practitioners debunk misconceptions. To understand the role of targeting, we randomly vary the signaled religious identity of the messenger into either Muslim or Hindu, guaranteeing exogenous variation in religion concordance between messenger and recipient. Doctor messages are effective at increasing knowledge of, and compliance with, COVID-19 policy guidelines. Changes in misconceptions are observed only when there is religion concordance and mainly for religious-salient misconceptions. Correcting misconceptions with information requires targeting messages to specific populations and tailoring them to individual characteristics. (JEL D04, D80, D83, I10, I15, Z12

Haptic Warning Signals at the Steering Wheel: A Literature Survey Regarding Lane Departure Warning Systems (Short Paper)

Using the haptic modality to transfer information to the driver is recognized as a promising possibility in many in-vehicle applications. In the field of lane departure warning systems, several haptic warning signals were presented in the last years. The application of synthetic steering wheel torque or vibration informs the driver of an imminent lane departure. In this paper, an approach to classify the existing signals is provided. The examination of the literature reveals diversity in type and parameterization of the warning signals as well as methodical differences, complicating comparability. While the general effectiveness of haptic warning signals at the steering wheel could be proven, there still is room for improvement. Based on the findings, the authors derive hy- potheses concerning requirements from a user’s point of view