DP11106 Identifying Ideology: Experimental Evidence on Anti-Americanism in Pakistan
Author(s): | Leonardo Bursztyn, Michael J Callen, Bruno Ferman, Saad Gulzar, Ali Hasanain, Noam Yuchtman |
Publication Date: | February 2016 |
Keyword(s): | Ideology, Political Expression, Political Participation, Revealed Preference Measurement |
JEL(s): | C90, D03, P16 |
Programme Areas: | Development Economics |
Link to this Page: | cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=11106 |
Identifying the role of intrinsic, ideological motivation in political behavior is confounded by agents' consequential aims and social concerns. We present results from two experiments that implement a methodology isolating Pakistani men's intrinsic motives for expressing anti-American ideology, in a context with clearly-specified financial costs, but minimal consequential or social considerations. Over one-quarter of subjects forgo around one-fifth of a day's wage to avoid anonymously checking a box indicating gratitude toward the U.S. government, thus revealing anti-Americanism. We find that ideological expression responds to financial and social incentives, and that measured ideology predicts membership in a major anti-American political party.