The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Welfare Effects of Nudges: A Case Study of Energy Use Social Comparisons
Abstract
“Nudge”-style interventions are often deemed successful if they generate large behavior change at low cost, but they are rarely subjected to full social welfare evaluations. We combine a field experiment with a simple theoretical framework to evaluate the welfare effects of one especially policy-relevant intervention, home energy social comparison reports. In our sample, the reports increase social welfare, although traditional evaluation approaches overstate gains because they ignore significant costs incurred by nudge recipients. Overall, home energy report welfare gains might be overstated by $620 million. We develop a prediction algorithm for optimal targeting; this approach would double the welfare gains. (JEL C93, D91, L95, Q41, Q48)
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Cites
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(2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.46-0977 · Cited by 11,572
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Self-citationThe Power of Suggestion: Inertia in 401(k) Participation and Savings Behavior
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Cited by
Behavioral economics and nudging in education: evidence from the field
Damgaard, M. T., & Nielsen, H. S. (2020) · The Economics of Education · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-815391-8.00002-1 · Cited by 18
Service Quality in the Gig Economy: Empirical Evidence about Driving Quality at Uber
Athey, S., Castillo, J. C., & Chandar, B. (2019) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3499781 · Cited by 17
Toxic leadership, overwork and stress: review and integration of the last 15 years
Mishra, R., & Jena, L. K. (2025) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-02-2025-0140 · Cited by 3
What is the Best Response? Examining the Impact of Police and Their Alternatives
Ba, B., Chen, P., Cheng, T., Eies, M., & Holz, J. (2025) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w34344 · Cited by 2
Metadata
- Authors
- Allcott, H., & Kessler, J. B.
- Venue
- American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
- Publisher
- American Economic Association
- Published
- 2019-01-01
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 236-276
- ISSN
- 1945-7782 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7790
- OpenAlex
- W1864591907
- Cited by
- 386
- References
- 45
- FWCI
- 38.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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