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The impact of policy awareness: Evidence from vehicle choices response to fiscal incentives

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  • Cerruti, Davide
  • Daminato, Claudio
  • Filippini, Massimo

Abstract

Isolating the role of limited knowledge, psychological frictions and policy characteristics is key when evaluating a public program and designing future policies. We document limited awareness about the presence of fiscal incentives towards fuel efficient vehicles. Exploiting a direct measure of awareness at the individual level, we find vehicle choices response heterogeneity to these fiscal incentives between aware and unaware individuals. To estimate the effect of awareness, we leverage a field experiment randomizing information about the mere existence of the fiscal incentives. We show the simple intervention substantially increases policy awareness among vehicle buyers and affects consumers’ vehicle choices. Further, we find increased awareness induces consumers to purchase vehicles that consume less fuel. Together, our findings highlight that limited awareness represents a critical barrier to the effectiveness of public programs.

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  • Cerruti, Davide & Daminato, Claudio & Filippini, Massimo, 2023. "The impact of policy awareness: Evidence from vehicle choices response to fiscal incentives," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:226:y:2023:i:c:s004727272300155x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104973
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    Cited by:

    1. Massimo Filippini & Suchita Srinivasan, 2020. "Voluntary adoption of environmental standards and limited attention: Evidence from the food and beverage industry in Vietnam," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 20/338, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    2. Panu Kalmi & Gianluca Trotta & Andrius Kažukauskas, 2021. "Energy‐related financial literacy and electricity consumption: Survey‐based evidence from Finland," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 1062-1089, September.
    3. Bergantino, Angela S. & Intini, Mario & Percoco, Marco, 2021. "New car taxation and its unintended environmental consequences," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 36-48.
    4. Massimo Filippini & Suchita Srinivasan, 2022. "Adoption of environmental standards and a lack of awareness: evidence from the food and beverage industry in Vietnam," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 24(3), pages 307-340, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Policy awareness; Fiscal programs; Environmental taxation; Vehicle choices;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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