{
  "title": "Preferences for Reforms: Endowments vs. Beliefs",
  "publication": "IMF Working Papers, February 18, 2022",
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  "summary": "Are preferences for reforms driven by individuals’ own endowments or beliefs? To address this question, we conducted a cross-country survey on people’s opinions on employment protection legislation—an area where reform has proven to be difficult and personal interests are at stake.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Research question and methodology",
      "content": "- Research question: Are preferences for reforms driven by individuals’ own endowments or beliefs?\n- Scope: Cross-country survey on people’s opinions on employment protection legislation (EPL).\n- Experimental element: A randomized information treatment to test whether beliefs causally affect views about reform.\n- Publication details:\n  - By Romain A Duval, Yi Ji, Chris Papageorgiou, Ippei Shibata, Antonio Spilimbergo\n  - February 18, 2022\n  - Pages: 49\n  - Volume: 2022\n  - Issue: 033\n  - Series: Working Paper No. 2022/033\n  - DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400201295.001\n  - Stock No: WPIEA2022033\n  - ISBN: 9798400201295\n  - ISSN: 1018-5941"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key findings",
      "content": "- Primary empirical result:\n  - Individuals’ beliefs matter more than their own endowments and personal pay-offs in shaping preferences for EPL reform.\n- Causal evidence:\n  - The randomized information treatment confirms that beliefs explain views about reform and that beliefs can change with new information.\n- Robustness:\n  - Results are robust to several robustness tests, including alternative estimation techniques and samples."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Policy-relevant implications",
      "content": "- Since beliefs have larger influence than material endowments, information provision can alter public support for reform.\n- Policymakers aiming to build support for EPL deregulation should consider strategies that address and reshape beliefs through targeted information.\n- The malleability of beliefs implies timing and framing of information campaigns can be important in facilitating difficult reforms where personal interests are at stake."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Subjects and keywords",
      "content": "- Subjects: Employment protection, Labor, Labor force, Labor markets, Population and demographics\n- Keywords: beliefs, employment protection, endowments, EPL deregulation, ideology, knowledge indicator, political economy, political opinions, preferences, reform, regulation, surveys, Northern Europe, Southern Europe\n\nSource: IMF Working Papers — \"Preferences for Reforms: Endowments vs. Beliefs\", Romain A Duval et al., February 18, 2022, Working Paper No. 2022/033.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Working Paper\n  - Working Paper (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Working Paper (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2022/02/18/preferences-for-reforms-endowments-vs-513175"
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    "Authors: Romain A Duval, Yi Ji, Chris Papageorgiou, Ippei Shibata, Antonio Spilimbergo",
    "Published: February 18, 2022",
    "Series: IMF Working Papers",
    "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400201295.001",
    "Research question: Are preferences for reforms driven by individuals’ own endowments or beliefs?",
    "Scope: Cross-country survey on people’s opinions on employment protection legislation (EPL).",
    "Experimental element: A randomized information treatment to test whether beliefs causally affect views about reform.",
    "Publication details:",
    "Primary empirical result:",
    "Causal evidence:",
    "Robustness:",
    "Since beliefs have larger influence than material endowments, information provision can alter public support for reform.",
    "Policymakers aiming to build support for EPL deregulation should consider strategies that address and reshape beliefs through targeted information.",
    "The malleability of beliefs implies timing and framing of information campaigns can be important in facilitating difficult reforms where personal interests are at stake.",
    "Subjects: Employment protection, Labor, Labor force, Labor markets, Population and demographics",
    "Keywords: beliefs, employment protection, endowments, EPL deregulation, ideology, knowledge indicator, political economy, political opinions, preferences, reform, regulation, surveys, Northern Europe, Southern Europe",
    "**Working Paper**"
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