“Gender Differences In Policy Literacy: Evidence from a Major Public Investment Program” by Veronica Grembi, May 26 at 10:40

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実証ミクロ経済学ワークショップのお知らせ（通常と場所が違いますのでご注意ください）

日時：5月26日（火）10:40-12:10
場所：3号館10階第1会議室
発表者：Veronica Grembi (Sapienza, University of Rome)　https://sites.google.com/site/veronicagrembi/home
タイトル：Gender Differences In Policy Literacy: Evidence from a Major Public Investment Program
要旨：
A large body of research studies citizens’ policy attitudes and political preferences, often implicitly assuming that voters are informed about the policies they evaluate. This paper challenges this assumption by providing novel evidence on policy literacy, focusing on the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), a large economic policy intervention in the European Union in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collect three original survey waves representative of the Italian working-age population, with a substantial share of respondents followed over time. The design combines panel variation with two survey experiments, allowing us to separately identify knowledge, confidence, and the causal impact of information provision. We document widespread gaps in policy literacy: even among individuals who report knowing the RRP, objective knowledge of its structure and content is limited. A sizeable gender gap emerges, particularly on the financial structure of the policy. While differences in confidence explain part of this gap, they do not fully account for it. We then test whether information provision can close these gaps, also tailoring it according to renowned gender preferences. Although information treatments significantly increase policy knowledge, they do not differentially benefit women and only partially reduce disparities. Crucially, we find that increases in knowledge do not translate into changes in policy attitudes or support for the European Union. These findings have several  important implications. First, they call into question the widespread practice of interpreting policy preferences without accounting for limited policy knowledge. Second, they suggest that improving information alone may be insufficient to affect political attitudes, highlighting a disconnect between knowledge and preferences that is central for policy design and democratic accountability.

担当：別所俊一郎（[email protected])

We are pleased to announce Empirical Microeconomics Workshop scheduled on 26 May.

Date and Time: Tuesday 26 May 2026　10:40-12:10
Venue: Conference room 1. 10th floor, Building 3.
Speaker: Veronica Grembi (Sapienza Università di Roma)　https://sites.google.com/site/veronicagrembi/home
Title: Gender Differences In Policy Literacy: Evidence from a Major Public Investment Program

Abstract:
A large body of research studies citizens’ policy attitudes and political preferences, often implicitly assuming that voters are informed about the policies they evaluate. This paper challenges this assumption by providing novel evidence on policy literacy, focusing on the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), a large economic policy intervention in the European Union in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collect three original survey waves representative of the Italian working-age population, with a substantial share of respondents followed over time. The design combines panel variation with two survey experiments, allowing us to separately identify knowledge, confidence, and the causal impact of information provision. We document widespread gaps in policy literacy: even among individuals who report knowing the RRP, objective knowledge of its structure and content is limited. A sizeable gender gap emerges, particularly on the financial structure of the policy. While differences in confidence explain part of this gap, they do not fully account for it. We then test whether information provision can close these gaps, also tailoring it according to renowned gender preferences. Although information treatments significantly increase policy knowledge, they do not differentially benefit women and only partially reduce disparities. Crucially, we find that increases in knowledge do not translate into changes in policy attitudes or support for the European Union. These findings have several important implications. First, they call into question the widespread practice of interpreting policy preferences without accounting for limited policy knowledge. Second, they suggest that improving information alone may be insufficient to affect political attitudes, highlighting a disconnect between knowledge and preferences that is central for policy design and democratic accountability.

Contact: Shunichiro Bessho ([email protected])