Data_I think about you

This data set contains two STATA files of study "I think about you: Group mentality and altruism among farmers". Do resource-scarcity reminders lead individuals to generous or selfish behavior? This study attempted to answer to this question by employing a field experiment and a lab-in-the-field experiment. The field experiment aimed to estimate the effect of resource-scarcity information on the number of the farmers who applied for the new crop program in Thailand that provides a temporary income subsidy. The results show that the number of applicants in villages where resource-scarcity information about the limited number of farmers joining the program was circulated, was significantly lower than that in villages where no such information was disseminated. Next, the lab-in-the-field experiment revealed that when resource scarcity was salient, farmers tended to sacrifice their benefit to increase the benefit of others who are identified as their ingroup members. However, this study did not find generous behavior toward outsiders. Together, the results suggest that exposure to resource-scarcity information does not always guide people to focus on maximizing their welfare; rather, it may lead people to behave generously if resources are shared among ingroup members.