Tax amnesties, a limited-time opportunity for a specified group of taxpayers to pay a defined amount of tax liabilities, are broadly used across countries because they generate short-term revenue gains. However, evidence suggest that tax amnesties fail to have long-term effects, and in some cases, they generate negative effects on compliance. With the goal of evaluating the impact of tax amnesties, this experiment relies on the behavioral principle of limited attention and redesigns the…
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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In 2014, Tanzania’s regulators made the country
the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to permit interest
payments on mobile money wallets. Currently, annual
interest rates range from seven to nine percent, four
times greater than the average deposit in a US bank.
Despite this, mobile savings balances remain low,
especially among low-income users.
In order to understand what influences the saving
behaviors of low-income Tanzanians, our team, eMBeD,
together with the Consultative Group to Assist…
The purpose of this survey is to better understand Canadians’ perceptions, knowledge and decision-making related to home energy labels and to explore different design features and information presentations that may drive energy-efficient choices.
BI Project
Nudging to reduce littering in waste disposal areas – A field experiment in Austria’s community…
Soiled waste disposal areas in municipal public housing buildings are not only a major nuisance for residents, but also cause high cleaning costs. The aim of the present study was to develop behavioral measures to promote cleanliness and to test them in a field experiment with about 400 waste disposal areas. The present paper compares two System-1 (large posters displaying watching eyes and a natural landscape) and two System-2 (financial information, information on normative behavior and…
BI Project
Reduced calf mortality at dairy farms: how can dairy farmers be encouraged to take proper care of…
To reduce calf mortality rates, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) developed various letters for distribution amongst three subgroups of dairy farmers. The impact measurement shows that calf mortality decreased in the overall target group, although the letters did not produce any measurable outcomes.
Why this experiment was conducted: calf rearing necessitates a significant amount of care
Failure to ensure appropriate care for animals in dairy farming operations…
BI Project
Social Multipliers at Work: Improving Children’s Outcomes Through Aspirations and Role Models
Every year, governments spend large amounts
of resources on development programs that aim
to change poor households’ behaviors and attitudes
toward investment in the education, health, and
nutrition of their children as a way to end the cycle
of poverty. One key mechanism that can achieve this
is working to raise aspirations. But how do you do
that in practice?
In this project, together with Karen Macours of the
Paris School of Economics and the Ministry of Family
in Nicaragua, we find that…
BI Project
Increasing consumer engagement in the annuities market: can prompts raise shopping around?
In June 2016, Oxera and the Nuffield Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) published the results of an experiment testing the effectiveness of different ‘prompts’ in encouraging consumers to shop around. The study, commissioned by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), found that personalised messages were the most effective in stimulating product comparisons, while generic messaging appealing to social norms also had a significant impact.
BI Project
Reporting a change in income to Benefits Unit: How to ensure that more people comply with their…
'Returning to employment? Don't forget about your benefits!' When individuals receiving benefits return to employment having been registered as unemployed, it is important that they report the change in their income to the Benefits Unit on time, to avoid repayment demands. Why do individuals not comply with this notification requirement? And what interventions could improve compliance? A revised letter from the UWV Employee Insurance Agency and an additional page on the Benefits Unit website…
In Turkey, the years between 2012 and 2017 saw a steadily rising labor force participation rate but also unemployment. New workers, including women and youth, joined those already in the market increasing the competition for available jobs. At the same time, employers, reported difficulties finding workers with appropriate workplace competencies when filling vacancies, particularly when it came to job-related behaviors. The Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) and the World Bank teamed up to test…
When firms in the UK do not follow the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Rules or Principles, and consumers incur financial losses as a result, the FCA seeks to ensure customers receive adequate compensation, or redress. In 2011/12, the FCA helped obtain over £150 million worth of redress for consumers. Instances where consumers are due redress do not often receive publicity. Instead, the firm alerts customers to a potential issue, usually in the form of a letter that gives customers…