Incommensurate abstractions and the (re)quantification of monetary amounts: how Western Kenyans measure and are measured in a behavioral economic experiment

Revolving around a behavioral economic experiment on temporal discounting conducted in collaboration with a behavioral economist in a Western Kenyan village, this paper excavates a specific type of (re)quantification. The participants of our experiment translated monetary amounts into units of what locally constitutes a satisfying meal. This ‘incommensurate abstraction’ is interpreted as being grounded in a disentangling of money’s numerical character from its potential of abstraction which results in a methodological impasse. Facing the loss of the stabilizing power of an incremental numerical system that allegedly enables and facilitates the commensuration and comparability of monetary amounts, we could no longer control the experiment and had to resort to innovative practices of ‘cooking data’ which, ultimately, were doomed to fail.

本研究围绕一项与肯尼亚西部乡村某行为经济学家合作开展的时间贴现（temporal discounting）行为经济学实验展开，挖掘了一类特定的（再）量化模式。本实验的参与者将货币金额转化为当地语境下足以构成一餐满意餐食的单位量。这种“不可通约的抽象”被认为源于货币的数字属性与其抽象潜能的剥离，由此引发了方法论困境。面对据称本可支撑并促进货币金额通约与可比性的增量数值体系丧失其稳定效力的局面，我们已无法管控实验进程，只能诉诸创新性的“数据造假”实践，而此类尝试最终均以失败告终。