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.

Number of BI projects:
0
Legend: Projects status
- Pre-registered project
- Completed project
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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…
In the spring of 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines became accessible to the US's general public, ideas42 and the Boston Transportation Department launched the FreeRide pilot program to encourage commuters to use transit (subway and bus) and bike share as they commute to work. The FreeRide program was designed to accomplish three main goals:
• Support small businesses and employees who have endured economic hardship during the pandemic.
• Shift employees away from single-occupancy vehicle use,…
Challenge
Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe and faces the challenges of creating a government and setting up systems to generate funds needed to invest and develop. In 2018, only 47% of taxpayers made even a partial payment towards their due taxes. The consequences of low tax compliance and late repayment are two-fold. Individuals accumulate debt, interest, and fines from nonpayment which also prevents them from purchasing homes or registering vehicles until these debts are paid. On the…
Among the education and psychology literature
that looks at the role of beliefs and school outcomes,
Growth Mindset theory (GM) posits that by helping
students shift their theory of learning to one where
intelligence isn’t a fixed state – but rather, that it’s
malleable, and something you can improve and grow
over time – students can become self-motivated to
improve both academic effort and outcomes. Teaching
youth how to foster a GM doesn’t just offer a potential
solution at low cost…
How does the presence of consumer protection affect decisions at retirement? Oxera undertook a behavioural experiment for the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) to understand the role of FSCS protection—in both how consumers select their retirement income products, and whether they choose to obtain financial advice. This revealed how people behave in a realistic environment, providing insight into actual consumer behaviour and the importance of the FSCS in their decision-making.
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is a government-funded program for all permanent visa holders and some temporary visa holders who have less than a vocational level of English. Not all people who are eligible for the AMEP participate in it. The Department of Home Affairs commissioned BETA to evaluate the effectiveness of communication in participants’ home languages on increasing participation in the AMEP.
Trial 1: We will send text messages to speakers of Mandarin, Cantonese,…
As of 2007, the UK Ministry of Justice was imposing over £350 million in new court fines annually, only half of which were collected within six months. In 2011, the Ministry faced over £600 million in outstanding unpaid fines.
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), which administers the collection of fines, incurs significant costs from non-compliant debtors. In addition to resources for case-management and follow-up phone calls, bailiffs are assigned to recover the debt…
Online experiment tested two novel public health messages on social distancing.
•Messages focused on potential to infect vulnerable people or many people.
•Participants (N = 500) randomized to see control or (one of two) treatment posters.
•Behavioral intentions and acceptability judgements of behaviors measured later.
•Both posters increased caution with respect to social distancing.
The aim of the project was to reduce common errors that self-employed taxpayers make when
they complete certain sections of tax return form 1770, such as identifying their business category and declaring assets and liabilities. Taxpayers can make both intentional and unintentional errors. Our objective was to reduce unintentional errors associated with lack of knowledge.
BI Project
Correcting Misperceptions About Trends and Norms to Address Weak Collective Action – Experimental…
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…