Estimating the Demand for Business Training: Evidence from Jamaica
通过牙买加的两个实验，使用BDM机制和要么接受要么放弃的报价，估计了企业家对商业培训的需求，发现需求随价格上升急剧下降，且分期付款不增加需求，但高价筛选出更穷、教育更少的企业家，并提高了付费者的出勤率。
Business-training programs are typically offered for free. Charging a price for training provides potential benefits such as financial sustainability, but little is known about how price affects demand. We conducted two experiments in Jamaica using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism and take-it-or-leave-it offers to estimate the demand for training. Most entrepreneurs have positive willingness to pay for training, but demand falls sharply as price increases. Offering the chance to pay in installments does not increase demand. Higher prices screen out poorer, less educated entrepreneurs who have smaller firms. However, charging a higher price does increase attendance among those who pay. Finally, our paper points to the limitations of using a BDM mechanism in a context of low contract enforcement and when payments for purchasing an intangible service do not occur immediately.