Trust and trustworthiness among former child soldiers: An experimental approach

In this paper, I take an experimental approach to understanding trust and trustworthiness among former child soldiers in Liberia. Liberian participants' decisions in the standard investment game indicate that former child soldiers do not differ in trusting behavior from either adult soldiers or non-soldiers. However, non-soldiers are less trusting than adult soldiers, and child soldiers are less trustworthy than those who started fighting as adults. In a sample of only former child soldiers, those who had only witnessed violence are more trustworthy than those who had been victims of violence.