Behavioural Insights Projects

A circular business model promotes reuse of products and materials. A case in point is a model where consumers return their jeans to the manufacturer after use. Which circular business model characteristics are consumers willing to accept right now, and what do they refuse? Acceptance of these models seems to increase if companies offer effective or appealing option combinations, such as monthly payment schedules and discounted returns. Why this experiment was conducted: to promote the circular…

Institution: Rijkswaterstaat (Netherlands Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)

This project (running from 2017-2022) led to the development of a free digital tool, allowing landholders to explore options in the regulated carbon farming market. By providing landholders access to relevant methods, carbon sequestration estimates, and a listing of possible co-benefits, the LOOC-C tool helped demystify a challenging legislative environment for a farming-friendly audience. https://looc-c.farm/ A human-centred design process was championed through the entire development process,…

Institution: Other

Finding ways to encourage collective action in contexts where only a minority adopts the desired behaviour is central to solving many of today's global environmental problems. We study how correcting people's beliefs about social norms and behavioural trends encourages collective action in a setting where the desired behaviour is not yet prevalent. In a field experiment, we test whether low sign-up rates for a municipal recycling program in urban Peru can be increased by providing information…

Institution: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Team: Research team: Hanna Fuhrmann-Riebel, Ben D'Exelle, Kristian López Vargas, Sebastian Tonke & Arjan Verschoor

The 'Fit op jouw manier' (Fit your way) campaign aims to encourage overweight individuals to get after. The campaign successfully reaches the target audience, motivating them with tips that they then practice. For example, more people now regularly take the stairs instead of the life or escalator. Why this experiment was conducted: combating overweight and obesity The Prevention Agreement aims to reduce the proportion of overweight adults from 50% in 2018 to 38% by 2040. A healthy lifestyle…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

In Indonesia, as in other countries, a large proportion of tax returns are filed at the last minute. In a population-wide randomised controlled trial (n = 11,157,069), we evaluated the impact of behavioural email prompts on the proportion of annual tax returns filed at least two weeks before the deadline; and overall filing rate. In two control conditions, taxpayers either received no email or an email used in prior years, emphasising regulatory information. The five treatments informed by…

Institution: Other

In Haiti, more than 96 percent of the population is exposed to two or more natural hazards in theirlifetime. The human and economic impacts of these hazards, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and landslides, have been severe. Between 1961 and 2012, the country experienced more than 180 disasters, causing the death of more than 240,000 people. Many disaster-related fatalities are preventable if people evacuate to a safer place in a timely fashion. However,in Haiti, due to a variety of…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

Avoiding electrical waste and promoting the manufacture of and demand for sustainable electrical products are key goals for the Federal Government. To this end, transparency for consumers is to be improved. Whether a lifespan label for electrical products can help achieve this aim was tested in an empirical study. The findings show that a lifespan label would lead to 3 out of 100 consumers opting for a more expensive product with a longer lifespan. When the lifespan was combined with information…

Team: Behavioral Sciences Team

Improving prevention in the area of mental health, destigmatizing the topic, improving awareness of the possibilities of help for different types of mental health problems, gradually breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of seeking professional help. Problem: students do not know how to deal with mental discomfort and the onset of mental health problems, including those caused by pandemics.

Institution: Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Team: Behavioral and Experimental Economics Team (BEET)

In a randomised trial we sent reminder letters to self-employed entrepreneurs about their upcoming VAT filing date. Previously it was not common practice for the Hungarian tax administration to send large scale reminders before the due date.

Institution: Ministry of Finance- Hungary

Team: Tax Policy and Research Unit

We conducted a SMS program trial to inform our efforts to strengthen the home learning environment and support parents of 2 year-old children. Specifically, the trial aimed to:​ assess parent engagement with an SMS program, assess the impact of the program on positive parenting behaviours such as reading, playing and two way enriched conversation​; and inform future efforts to improve positive parenting behaviours.

Institution: Other

Team: Behavioural insights Unit (VicGov BIU)