Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IntraHouseDecisions (Intra-household responsibilities and financial decisions)
Período documentado: 2023-09-01 hasta 2025-08-31
In many low-income countries, development programmes and cash-transfer initiatives target women under the assumption that this improves household welfare. These approaches draw on evidence that women tend to spend more on children’s wellbeing and basic needs. Yet, emerging research suggests that men also play an important, if different, role in promoting household welfare. Focusing solely on women may therefore overlook how both spouses contribute to managing household resources and how social expectations shape these roles.
This project investigates how social norms influence the financial decisions made by couples in rural Ghana. It focuses on intra-household responsibilities—the areas of expenditure that each spouse is considered responsible for, such as daily consumption, child-related spending, or farm investment. These responsibilities are not fixed: they are shaped by local norms and may depend on who earns the income and how it is distributed between spouses. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing financial and aid policies that both empower women and harness men’s contributions to household welfare.
The project’s overall objective is to develop a theoretical and empirical framework that explains how the distribution of income between husbands and wives affects social norms of spending responsibility and, in turn, actual household expenditures. The research combines theory, qualitative fieldwork, and experimental methods to measure how norms of financial responsibility vary with income sources and gender. By linking social norms directly to financial behaviour, the project aims to identify when and why households make inefficient spending decisions and how policy interventions might reduce such inefficiencies. A third component of the project examines how social norms of responsibility shape saving and investment decisions over time, including how households balance present consumption against future-oriented financial choices.
Ultimately, the project concludes that understanding household financial behaviour requires explicit attention to social norms governing who is responsible for different types of expenditure. These norms shape day-to-day spending decisions. The project shows that such responsibilities are context-specific and closely linked to income sources and gender roles, implying that financial and aid interventions are more likely to be effective when they recognize and address existing intra-household norms. By integrating social norms into models of household decision-making, the project provides a framework for designing policies that improve both the efficiency and equity of household resource allocation.
This project investigates how social norms influence the financial decisions made by couples in rural Ghana. It focuses on intra-household responsibilities—the areas of expenditure that each spouse is considered responsible for, such as daily consumption, child-related spending, or farm investment. These responsibilities are not fixed: they are shaped by local norms and may depend on who earns the income and how it is distributed between spouses. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing financial and aid policies that both empower women and harness men’s contributions to household welfare.
The project’s overall objective is to develop a theoretical and empirical framework that explains how the distribution of income between husbands and wives affects social norms of spending responsibility and, in turn, actual household expenditures. The research combines theory, qualitative fieldwork, and experimental methods to measure how norms of financial responsibility vary with income sources and gender. By linking social norms directly to financial behaviour, the project aims to identify when and why households make inefficient spending decisions and how policy interventions might reduce such inefficiencies. A third component of the project examines how social norms of responsibility shape saving and investment decisions over time, including how households balance present consumption against future-oriented financial choices.
Ultimately, the project concludes that understanding household financial behaviour requires explicit attention to social norms governing who is responsible for different types of expenditure. These norms shape day-to-day spending decisions. The project shows that such responsibilities are context-specific and closely linked to income sources and gender roles, implying that financial and aid interventions are more likely to be effective when they recognize and address existing intra-household norms. By integrating social norms into models of household decision-making, the project provides a framework for designing policies that improve both the efficiency and equity of household resource allocation.
During the reporting period, the project established the empirical and institutional groundwork for the forthcoming field study and refined the theoretical framework guiding the research.
A qualitative pre-study was carried out to inform the experimental design. Through a series of focus group discussions, the project explored how couples make expenditure decisions, whether income from different sources is treated differently, and which household goods are seen as primarily the responsibility of women, men, or both. The discussions also examined how community expectations vary across income levels, family size, and cultural settings, such as matrilineal and non-matrilineal traditions. These findings provide crucial input for designing realistic vignettes and behavioural tasks in the main experiment.
In parallel, the project refined its theoretical foundation to focus explicitly on how income distribution between spouses shapes social norms of responsibility and how these norms affect spending on household goods. This conceptual advancement clarifies the mechanisms through which redistributions of income—whether from aid, agricultural earnings, or transfers—may alter social expectations and expenditure patterns within households.
The groundwork completed ensures that the subsequent experimental phase will be based on locally validated assumptions and theoretically sound hypotheses. By integrating qualitative insights, behavioural theory, and experimental methods, the project is well positioned to generate robust evidence that can inform gender-sensitive financial and aid interventions.
During the reporting period, preliminary insights and methodological developments from the project were disseminated through academic seminars at European universities and via a publicly accessible project webpage hosted by Aarhus University. Exploitation of the project’s results is expected to occur primarily through academic publications and policy-relevant dissemination once the main empirical analysis is completed.
A qualitative pre-study was carried out to inform the experimental design. Through a series of focus group discussions, the project explored how couples make expenditure decisions, whether income from different sources is treated differently, and which household goods are seen as primarily the responsibility of women, men, or both. The discussions also examined how community expectations vary across income levels, family size, and cultural settings, such as matrilineal and non-matrilineal traditions. These findings provide crucial input for designing realistic vignettes and behavioural tasks in the main experiment.
In parallel, the project refined its theoretical foundation to focus explicitly on how income distribution between spouses shapes social norms of responsibility and how these norms affect spending on household goods. This conceptual advancement clarifies the mechanisms through which redistributions of income—whether from aid, agricultural earnings, or transfers—may alter social expectations and expenditure patterns within households.
The groundwork completed ensures that the subsequent experimental phase will be based on locally validated assumptions and theoretically sound hypotheses. By integrating qualitative insights, behavioural theory, and experimental methods, the project is well positioned to generate robust evidence that can inform gender-sensitive financial and aid interventions.
During the reporting period, preliminary insights and methodological developments from the project were disseminated through academic seminars at European universities and via a publicly accessible project webpage hosted by Aarhus University. Exploitation of the project’s results is expected to occur primarily through academic publications and policy-relevant dissemination once the main empirical analysis is completed.
The project advances the state of the art by integrating social norms of financial responsibility into economic models of household decision-making. This approach goes beyond standard unitary or collective models by explicitly examining how income distribution between spouses shapes perceived responsibilities for household expenditures. The refined framework provides a new way to understand inefficiencies in intra-household decisions in low-income households.
The framework developed by the project has the potential to inform the design of development, financial, and aid interventions by highlighting how social norms shape household responses to income changes. By showing that both women’s and men’s spending responsibilities matter for household welfare, the project points to socio-economic benefits from policies that engage both spouses rather than targeting individuals in isolation. These insights have wider societal implications for gender equality and poverty reduction, as they suggest that aligning interventions with local norms can improve both the efficiency and equity of household resource allocation.
The framework developed by the project has the potential to inform the design of development, financial, and aid interventions by highlighting how social norms shape household responses to income changes. By showing that both women’s and men’s spending responsibilities matter for household welfare, the project points to socio-economic benefits from policies that engage both spouses rather than targeting individuals in isolation. These insights have wider societal implications for gender equality and poverty reduction, as they suggest that aligning interventions with local norms can improve both the efficiency and equity of household resource allocation.