Informational Shocks and Street-Food Safety: A Field Study in Urban India
在印度加尔各答对街头食品摊贩进行随机培训实验，发现培训显著提升了知识但未改变行为，原因在于信息本身难以改善供应，且消费者虽愿为卫生付费却难以辨别食品是否安全。
Abstract We investigate whether improvements in street-food safety can be achieved by providing information to vendors in the form of a training. Among randomly assigned vendors in Kolkata, India, we find large improvements in knowledge and awareness but little change in observed behavior. We provide two main explanations for these findings. First, information acquisition by itself does not make it significantly easier for vendors to provide customers with safer food options. Second, although consumers have a positive willingness to pay for perceived hygiene, they struggle to distinguish between safe and contaminated food. We recommend policies targeting supply-side constraints and consumers' awareness.