abstract
- © 2022 The Author(s)Development economics has increasingly studied the role of diminished aspirations and other internal constraints that may form poverty traps. We present results from a controlled experiment to develop aspirational hope among 531 dairy farmers in Bolivia. Subjects in the treatment group participated in three coaching sessions that involved watching an inspiring documentary and participating in group workshops designed to augment aspirations related to dairy production. Results three months after baseline show an increase of 0.20¿ in both an aspirational hope index and a business goals index, a 1.07¿ increase in an index of quality-enhancing practices, but an insignificant increase in milk production. Increases in aspirations and best practices were strongest among those displaying high levels of intrinsic motivation at baseline.