Database of Behavioral Economics Interventions

Searchable database of 650+ case studies and interventions from business, public and non-profit sectors

List of 706 Database entries

Anchoring and a request phrase more than doubled contributions for charity requests

In the current study, authors ran a door-to-door charitable campaign in which they tested the effect of large and small anchor points on charitable contributions. 
640 participants were asked for donations, out of which ...

Behaviorally designed reminders increased submissions of recertification forms for nutrition assistance

Clients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) who are eligible for benefits do not submit the recertification form even though they want to continue receiving the benefits.
 Reminder notices were sent to randomly ...

Descriptive social norms, goal-setting, and implementation intentions decreased water use

Water scarcity is a global issue that is especially pressing for developing countries.
 In July 2014, over 5.5 thousand households in Belen, a municipality in Costa Rica, were randomized into four conditions: the first ...

Phone calls emphasizing high expected voter turnout led to higher intentions to vote.

Millions of people fail to vote during elections.
 Several experiments were conducted before the 2005 New Jersey and the 2006 California elections to investigate the role of social norms in voter turnout. Participants were ...

Mental contrasting and implementation intentions led to more perseverance in exam preparation among adolescents.

Adolescents often find it difficult to persevere in tasks and achieve their goals.
 66 US high-school students were randomly assigned into two conditions before an exam. The first condition completed an exercise involving mental ...

A college loan offer led to an increase in students borrowing money and improving their grades.

Low-income college students who would benefit from student loans often avoid borrowing, and consequently, do not graduate on time.
In 2015, almost 20000 students were randomized into a no loan condition, where the college ...

Behaviorally-designed emails increased applications for financial aid among students.

Low-income students often fail to apply for financial aid for college.
Eight behaviorally informed emails were sent to randomly selected Arizona State University (ASU) students to encourage them to apply for grants. The emails ...

Providing students with information on student loans led to borrowing a lower amount

Students who get student loans often opt for the default option, and thus borrow too much or not enough, due to a lack of information.
2800 Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) student loan ...

Reminders evoking a sense of identity led to earlier student enrollment in college.

Students who are admitted to LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City often fail to enroll. This is particularly prevalent among low-income and underrepresented minority students.
 Seven emails were sent to admitted students at ...

Values-affirmation exercise and reminders increased applications for financial aid among high school students.

Students often fail to apply for financial aid that would allow them to receive higher education.
In September 2015, 149 high school seniors at the San Jose High School were randomly assigned into ...

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