Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/283136 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Papers of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods No. 2023/13
Publisher: 
Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn
Abstract: 
Behavioral policy often aims at influencing behavior by mitigating biases due to, e.g., imperfect information or inattention. We study how this is affected by the simultaneous presence of multiple biases arising from different sources, through a field experiment on resource conservation in an energy-and water-intensive everyday activity (showering). One intervention, shower energy reports, primarily targeted knowledge about environmental impacts; another intervention, real-time feedback, primarily targeted salience of resource use. We find a striking complementarity. While only the latter induced significant conservation effects when implemented in isolation, each intervention became more effective when implemented jointly. This is consistent with predictions from a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of targeting all relevant sources of bias to achieve behavioral change.
Subjects: 
behavioral public policy
pro-environmental behavior
limited attention
information provision
real-time feedback
policy interactions
JEL: 
D83
D90
Q41
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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