Abstract:
Psychosocial development interventions carry implicit cultural assumptions that may conflict with local culture and norms. However, the costs likely vary by context and diminish as individuals grow familiar with different cultural frames. We study the causal impact of two versions of a psychosocial intervention in a randomised trial with female microfinance members in Vietnam, a setting where different cultural models of agency coexist. Participants received a training emphasising either independent or interdependent agency, or no training. Both interventions improve economic outcomes. The limited heterogeneity observed by baseline cultural orientation suggests that cultural incongruence incurs minimal costs in this setting.

About the presenter:

Robert Lensink is a  development economist, with specific  research interests covering  Gender Studies, Impact Analyses, Financial inclusion, and Rural Development. A substantial part of his work focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa. He is Professor of Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), University of Groningen (UG), and a “Professor Extraordinary” at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.  He is currently the vice-dean research at FEB, UG. Robert has a wide international network. He is External Research Fellow SOAS (University of London), Associate Researcher Centre for European Research in Microfinance (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Resource Person for the African Economic Research Consortium, full member of the European Development Research Network, and a member of the steering committee of NWO/WOTRO. Robert has published more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Economics journals like American Economic review, Economic Journal, and Journal of Public Economics, Psychology Journals, like British Journal of Social Psychology and Frontiers of Psychology, and multidisciplinary journals like World Development. He has authored 5 books, edited 4 books, and published more than 35 book chapters