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Using Preference Estimates to Customize Incentives: An Application to Polio Vaccination Drives in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • James Andreoni
  • Michael Callen
  • Karrar Hussain
  • Muhammad Yasir Khan
  • Charles Sprenger

Abstract

We use estimates of time preferences to customize incentives for polio vaccinators in Lahore, Pakistan. We measure time preferences using intertemporal allocations of effort, and use these estimates to construct individually tailored incentives. We evaluate the effect of matching contract terms to discounting parameters in a subsequent experiment with the same vaccinators. Our tailored policy is compared with alternatives that either rely on atheoretic reduced-form relationships for policy guidance or apply the same policy to all individuals. We find that contracts tailored to individual discounting outperform this range of policy alternatives.

Suggested Citation

  • James Andreoni & Michael Callen & Karrar Hussain & Muhammad Yasir Khan & Charles Sprenger, 2023. "Using Preference Estimates to Customize Incentives: An Application to Polio Vaccination Drives in Pakistan," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 21(4), pages 1428-1477.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:21:y:2023:i:4:p:1428-1477.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvac068
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    Cited by:

    1. Abhijit Banerjee & Sylvain Chassang & Erik Snowberg, 2016. "Decision Theoretic Approaches to Experiment Design and External Validity," NBER Working Papers 22167, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Andrew Dustan & Juan Manuel Hernandez-Agramonte & Stanislao Maldonado, 2018. "Motivating bureaucrats with non-monetary incentives when state capacity is weak: Evidence from large-scale," Natural Field Experiments 00664, The Field Experiments Website.
    3. Bernedo Del Carpio, María & Alpizar, Francisco & Ferraro, Paul J., 2022. "Time and risk preferences of individuals, married couples and unrelated pairs," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    4. Abel, Martin & Burger, Rulof, 2022. "Choice over Payment Schemes and Worker Effort," IZA Discussion Papers 15769, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Alexander M. Danzer & Helen Zeidler, 2024. "Present Bias in Choices over Food and Money," CESifo Working Paper Series 11454, CESifo.
    6. Monica Martinez-Bravo & Andreas Stegmann, 2022. "In Vaccines We Trust? The Effects of the CIA’s Vaccine Ruse on Immunization in Pakistan," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 20(1), pages 150-186.
    7. Jonathan Chapman & Erik Snowberg & Stephanie Wang & Colin Camerer, 2018. "Loss Attitudes in the U.S. Population: Evidence from Dynamically Optimized Sequential Experimentation (DOSE)," NBER Working Papers 25072, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Kejriwal, Saransh & Sheth, Sarjan & Silpa, P.S. & Sarkar, Sumit & Guha, Apratim, 2022. "Attaining herd immunity to a new infectious disease through multi-stage policies incentivising voluntary vaccination," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    9. Dustan, Andrew & Maldonado, Stanislao & Hernandez-Agramonte, Juan Manuel, 2018. "Motivating bureaucrats with non-monetary incentives when state capacity is weak: Evidence from large-scale field experiments in Peru," MPRA Paper 90952, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Joshua Blumenstock & Michael Callen & Tarek Ghani, 2018. "Why Do Defaults Affect Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(10), pages 2868-2901, October.
    11. James Andreoni & Christina Gravert & Michael A. Kuhn & Silvia Saccardo & Yang Yang, 2018. "Arbitrage Or Narrow Bracketing? On Using Money to Measure Intertemporal Preferences," NBER Working Papers 25232, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Jeffrey Carpenter & Emiliano Huet-Vaughn & Peter Hans Matthews & Andrea Robbett & Dustin Beckett & Julian Jamison, 2021. "Choice Architecture to Improve Financial Decision Making," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(1), pages 102-118, March.
    13. Alexander M. Danzer & Helen Zeidler, 2024. "Present Bias in Choices over Food and Money," Working Papers 239, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    14. Gneezy, Uri & Kajackaite, Agne & Meier, Stephan, 2020. "Incentive-Based Interventions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 523-536.
    15. Monica Martinez-Bravo & Andreas Stegmann, 2017. "In Vaccines We Trust? The Effects of the CIA's Vaccine Ruse on Immunization in Pakistan," Working Papers wp2017_1713, CEMFI, revised Jul 2018.
    16. Pennesi, Daniele, 2021. "Intertemporal discrete choice," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 690-706.
    17. Danzer, Alexander M. & Zeidler, Helen, 2024. "Present Bias in Choices over Food and Money," IZA Discussion Papers 17415, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Andreoni, James & Serra-Garcia, Marta, 2021. "Time inconsistent charitable giving," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    19. Liang Bai & Benjamin Handel & Edward Miguel & Gautam Rao, 2021. "Self-Control and Demand for Preventive Health: Evidence from Hypertension in India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(5), pages 835-856, December.
    20. Incekara-Hafalir, Elif & Lee, Grace HY & Xiao, Erte, 2025. "Incentivizing participation with full completion: The Power of self-selected rewards," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • D30 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - General
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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