Does Positional Concern Matter in Poor Societies? Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Rural Ethiopia

SummaryWe investigate attitudes toward positionality among rural farmers in Northern Ethiopia using a survey experiment. On average, we find very low positional concerns both for income per se and for income from aid projects. The results support the claim that positional concerns are positively correlated with absolute level of income. The implications of our results on implementation of aid projects are discussed.