A common conjecture in both the theoretical and policy literatures on development is that people remain poor because they are too impatient and risk averse to accumulate the resources needed to improve their well-being. The empirical literature, however, suggests that this conjecture is far from...

Does individual behavior in a laboratory setting provide a reliable indicator of be- havior in a naturally occurring setting? We consider this general methodological ques- tion in the context of eliciting risk attitudes. The controls that are typically employed in laboratory settings, such as...