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Bridging the Intention-Behavior Gap? The Effect of Plan-Making Prompts on Job Search and Employment

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  • Martin Abel
  • Rulof Burger
  • Eliana Carranza
  • Patrizio Piraino

Abstract

The paper tests the effects of plan making on job search and employment. In a field experiment with unemployed youths, participants who complete a detailed job search plan increase the number of job applications submitted (by 15 percent) but not the time spent searching, consistent with intention-behavior gaps observed at baseline. Job seekers in the plan-making group diversify their search strategy and use more formal search channels. This greater search efficiency and effectiveness translate into more job offers (30 percent) and employment (26 percent). Weekly reminders and peer support sub-treatments do not improve the impacts of plan making.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Abel & Rulof Burger & Eliana Carranza & Patrizio Piraino, 2019. "Bridging the Intention-Behavior Gap? The Effect of Plan-Making Prompts on Job Search and Employment," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 284-301, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:11:y:2019:i:2:p:284-301
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20170566
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    1. A. Stefano Caria & Grant Gordon & Maximilian Kasy & Simon Quinn & Soha Shami & Alexander Teytelboym, 2020. "An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan," CSAE Working Paper Series 2020-20, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    2. Christina Gravert & Linus Olsson Collentine, 2019. "When nudges aren't enough: Incentives and habit formation in public transport usage," CEBI working paper series 19-10, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    3. Eliana Carranza & David McKenzie, 2024. "Job Training and Job Search Assistance Policies in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 38(1), pages 221-244, Winter.
    4. d'Adda, Giovanna & Mahmud, Mahreen & Said, Farah & Bonan, Jacopo, 2020. "The Role of Flexibility and Planning in Repayment Discipline: Evidence from a Field Experiment on Pay-as-You-Go Off-Grid Electricity," RFF Working Paper Series 20-14, Resources for the Future.
    5. Hervelin Jérémy, 2022. "Directing young dropouts via SMS: evidence from a field experiment," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, January.
    6. Falco, Paolo & Zaccagni, Sarah, 2020. "Promoting social distancing in a pandemic: Beyond the good intentions," OSF Preprints a2nys, Center for Open Science.
    7. Kesternich, Martin & Osberghaus, Daniel & Botzen, W. J. Wouter, 2022. "The intention-behavior gap in climate change adaptation," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-055, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Abel, Martin & Burger, Rulof, 2022. "Choice over Payment Schemes and Worker Effort," IZA Discussion Papers 15769, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Gergely Horvath, 2022. "Alleviating behavioral biases at job search: Do nudges work?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(4), pages 1-20, April.
    10. Yuehao Bai, 2022. "Optimality of Matched-Pair Designs in Randomized Controlled Trials," Papers 2206.07845, arXiv.org.
    11. Donald,Aletheia Amalia & Goldstein,Markus P. & Rouanet,Lea Marie, 2022. "Two Heads Are Better Than One : Agricultural Production and Investment in Côte d’Ivoire," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10047, The World Bank.
    12. Shusaku Sasaki & Hirofumi Kurokawa & Fumio Ohtake, 2021. "Effective but fragile? Responses to repeated nudge-based messages for preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 72(3), pages 371-408, July.
    13. Jamelia Harris, 2019. "Occupational choice of skilled workers in the presence of a large development sector: Evidence from Sierra Leone," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-101, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Ambler, Kate & Godlonton, Susan, 2021. "Earned and unearned income: Experimental evidence on expenditures and labor supply in Malawi," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 33-44.
    15. He, Ke & Ye, Lihong & Li, Fanlue & Chang, Huayi & Wang, Anbang & Luo, Sixuan & Zhang, Junbiao, 2022. "Using cognition and risk to explain the intention-behavior gap on bioenergy production: Based on machine learning logistic regression method," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Eliana Carranza & David McKenzie, 2024. "Job Training and Job Search Assistance Policies in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 38(1), pages 221-244, Winter.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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