The Program of Applied Research on Climate Action in Canada (PARCA Canada) combines behavioural science (BeSci) insights and methods with robust policy analysis to promote climate action. One of the main areas of focus involves collect data over time on research questions of interest to the promotion of climate action in Canada (e.g. transportation, home energy use, waste management, engagement with nature, preparedness for extreme weather, disaster recovery, etc.) using a large and nationally…
Behavioural Insights Projects
Discover projects applying behavioural science to policy from around the world. Add your own projects, whether completed or still ongoing, to contribute knowledge on BI applications across different countries, policy areas, and topics of interest.
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The Ministry of Justice and Security developed a behavioural intervention aimed at inspiring individuals to adopt safe cyber practices: 'Valse email? Meld het via de meldknop' (Fake email? Report it using the report button). Thanks to this behavioural intervention, employees are ten times more likely to report suspicious emails internally. Moreover, click rates on links in suspicious emails have significantly decreased.
Why this experiment was conducted: One in five SMEs have been victims of…
Challenge
Many eligible college students fail to apply for financial aid offered by the federal government altogether. Of those who do apply, many more reduce their chances of receiving aid by failing to apply by the priority deadline. In the 2013-2014 school year, more than 80% of students at Arizona State University who filed their financial aid applications did so after the priority deadline had passed, which can result in a lower aid package. This project’s goal was to increase the number…
The Australian Government has a range of programs available to assist those experiencing drought. But despite help being available, many do not reach out. The Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) worked with the Joint Agency Drought Taskforce to research the barriers preventing people from seeking help.
We sought to:
• understand the most effective forms of communication about available forms of assistance, and incentives to take up assistance; and
• understand the…
This study aims to:
1) Use a Discrete Choice Experiment (or DCE) to explore and estimate Canadians’ preferences for different attributes of a potential ZEV purchase or lease.
2) Use an online RCT to explore the impact of varying messengers (government vs. personal testimonial) and varying messages (about driving range vs. affordability) on individuals' intent to switch to a ZEV
3) Explore Canadians’ knowledge of ZEVs
4) Generate baseline evidence other elements of decarbonized transport not…
BI Project
Generating more enthusiasm for teacher training programmes: How to get students more interested in…
In this experiment, various emails were sent to students in senior general secondary education (HAVO) and preuniversity education (VWO) to inform them about open days of teacher training programmes. The subject line that most caught their attention was ‘Are you looking for job security, challenge and a wide range of career opportunities?’ as well as a subject line in which a role model was introduced. Where emails mention teachers' starting salaries, students most often click links to more…
The project aims to increase the number of beneficiaries who “assign a Ticket” with an
Employment Network (EN) or VR agency. The assignment of a Ticket constitutes an agreement between the beneficiary and a service provider of their choice for employment support services.
An intermediate goal of the project is an increase in initial calls to the TTW Help Line.
Contact-tracing mobile phone apps have the potential to play a role in controlling
the spread of COVID-19, but their success hinges on widespread uptake by the public. We
report a study that behaviourally pre-tested COVID Tracker, Ireland’s contact-tracing app,
prior to its launch with a large sample of smartphone users. The study was funded by the
Department of Health and run in co-operation with the app’s developers, NearForm.
Participants were randomised to receive different versions of a…
BI Project
New applicants for fiscal scheme to promote innovation Will website changes lead to more…
This experiment involved making the information on the WBSO website clearer and more personally relevant to entrepreneurs. The visibility of the call-to-action was also enhanced. The study showed that entrepreneurs were prompted to spend more time exploring the possibilities offered by the Research and Development (Promotion) Act (WBSO) and that they read the information more carefully.
Why this experiment was conducted: number of new applications below expectations
The Research and Development…
To reduce the speed of motor vehicles on the Yarze highway, Nudge Lebanon, in collaboration with the Traffic Management Centre (TMC), placed a salient image of overlooking eyes, coupled with a message informing drivers that their speed was being monitored on a Variable Message Sign (VMS). Vehicles in treatment time slots, with speeds above 100km/h reduced their speed by around 11.5% compared to similar vehicles in the control group. Moreover, compared to the control group, the treatment was more…