Improving consumption choices of vulnerable households in Vietnam by updating beliefs and the role of motivated reasoning

• Applicant: Dr. Ute Rink
• Subject Area: Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Policy, Agricultural Sociology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 584273566

The project aims to examine how vulnerable households in Vietnam process information related to food safety and how this information processing affects their consumption choices. A central objective is to analyze belief updating and the role of motivated reasoning in the evaluation of new information. The project seeks to identify key behavioral mechanisms that explain why households persist in prior beliefs or selectively adjust them despite the availability of new information. Another objective is to empirically assess the effects of different information interventions on actual consumption behavior and to distinguish between intended and realized outcomes. In addition, the project examines heterogeneity in information processing across social dimensions such as gender and disability in order to identify groups that may be particularly susceptible to biased information processing. Overall, the project contributes to behavioral economic research on decision-making among vulnerable populations in developing and emerging economies. The findings are expected to advance theoretical understanding of belief updating while providing evidence-based insights for the design of targeted policy and information interventions.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants