Exposure to large-scale farms increases smallholders’ competitive behavior and closes the gender gap
通过赞比亚900多名小农户和400名儿童的实验，发现靠近大型农场的小农户竞争行为更强，尤其缩小了女性与男性的竞争差距，机制与女性就业和家庭任务变化有关。
We investigate how exposure to large-scale farms affects smallholders’ competitive behavior. Based on lab-in-the-field experimental measures covering more than 900 smallholders and 400 children in Zambia, we find that smallholders who are traditionally dependent on subsistence agriculture behave more competitively when they are located close to large-scale farms. This effect is especially pronounced for female smallholders and closes the gender gap associated with competitiveness. This result replicates for their children. We identify female employment and shifting intra-household tasks as a possible mechanism. Our results provide new insights for understanding how changes in societal arrangements like market integration influence economic behavior.