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on Nudge and Boosting |
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Issue of 2025–12–01
three papers chosen by Marco Novarese, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | SASAKI, Hiroki; HORIE, Shinya; HORIE, Tetsuya; TANAKA, Katsuya |
| Abstract: | In this study, we explore the impact of "Nudge" and "Boost" methodologies on mitigating methane emissions from rice cultivation, a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Through a cluster randomized control trial conducted in Japan, we assess whether strategic informational campaigns, incorporating these behavioral insight, can enhance the adoption of a prolonged mid-season drainage period, which can lower methane emissions from rice paddies. Our experimental results show notable differences in the effectiveness of basic communications from the local government as before (Control group) versus those enriched with social comparison messaging focusing on methane emission from paddy fields (Nudge). Specifically, we find a clear positive effect of social comparison messaging for farmers participating in community-based agriculture. Furthermore, our research indicates that targeted technical guidance (Boost), addressing prevalent concerns about altering traditional farming methods, significantly sways farmers' future intentions toward methane-reduction techniques. The study underscores the importance of combining nudges, which subtly alter the external choice architecture, with boosts that empower farmers' decision-making capabilities and counter cognitive biases, to effectively steer behavior towards environmentally sustainable practices. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2024–08–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:iaae24:344318 |
| By: | Giulia Tagliapietra (Università degli studi di Ferrara); Susanna Mancinelli (Università degli studi di Ferrara); Massimiliano Mazzanti (Università degli studi di Ferrara) |
| Abstract: | Meat consumption contributes significantly to environmental degradation and public health burdens. Yet, altering dietary behavior remains a challenge, particularly due to cognitive and cultural resistance. This study investigates whether linguistic nudges, specifically, labeling food options without meat using health-oriented language versus a language that underlines the vegetarian identity alone, can influence consumer food preferences. A survey-based experiment was conducted to compare preferences for sandwiches labeled as “The Vegetarian Choice†versus “The Healthy Choice†, incorporating demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral variables. Results from a Wilcoxon signed-rank show no statistically significant difference in preference between the two labels. However, patterns suggest growing openness to vegetarian options and minimal evidence of social stigma toward vegetarianism among the respondents, all of whom were Italian. These findings point to cultural shifts in dietary norms and suggest that health-related labels alone may not be sufficiently persuasive to alter food preferences. The results provide new insights into consumer behavior and the nuanced role of framing in sustainable consumption strategies. |
| Keywords: | Linguistic nudges, meat consumption, sustainability, cognitive bias, behavioral economics |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:1125 |
| By: | Liu, Pengcheng; Xie, Qing; You, Yi; Dong, Qingqing |
| Abstract: | Consumers are presented with increasingly difficult choice tasks and are experiencing more choice overload during the decision-making process. Based on the emotion-imbued choice model and incorporating subjective state consequences into the framework of experienced utility, this research constructed a systematic scale to measure choice overload in several decision-making stages. This research conducted three experiments using liquid milk as a consumption product to test whether choice overload would be influenced by increasing the number of attributes, adding similar options, and information nudges, and whether this effect would be heterogeneous in consumer characteristics. Results indicate that more attributes and the addition of similar options would increase the perceived difficulty of choice and result in negative emotions, while information nudges might lessen choice overload and help consumers make decisions. Besides, consumers’ pursuit of maximization also determines their perceived choice overload; maximizers are more likely to experience choice overload than satisficers. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety |
| Date: | 2024–08–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:iaae24:344272 |