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Active Choice Framing and Intergenerational Education Benefits: Evidence from the Field

Author

Listed:
  • Castleman, Benjamin L.

    (University of Virginia)

  • Murphy, Francis X.

    (United States Army)

  • Patterson, Richard

    (Brigham Young University)

  • Skimmyhorn, William L.

    (College of William and Mary)

Abstract

The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows service members to transfer generous education benefits to a dependent. We run a large-scale experiment to test whether active choice framing impacts US Army service members' decision to transfer benefits. Individuals who received email messages framing GI Bill use as an active choice between own use and transfer to a family member are more likely to pursue information about the benefit than individuals receiving outreach that does not frame the decision as an active choice. While we find no overall effect of framing on transfer, active choice increases transfer among service members with graduate degrees.

Suggested Citation

  • Castleman, Benjamin L. & Murphy, Francis X. & Patterson, Richard & Skimmyhorn, William L., 2019. "Active Choice Framing and Intergenerational Education Benefits: Evidence from the Field," IZA Discussion Papers 12523, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12523
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benjamin L. Castleman & Francis X. Murphy & William L. Skimmyhorn, 2019. "Marching across Generations? Education Benefits and Intrahousehold Decision-Making," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(3), pages 410-433.
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    6. Peter Bergman & Jeffrey T. Denning & Dayanand Manoli, 2019. "Is Information Enough? The Effect of Information about Education Tax Benefits on Student Outcomes," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(3), pages 706-731, June.
    7. John Bound & Sarah Turner, 2002. "Going to War and Going to College: Did World War II and the G.I. Bill Increase Educational Attainment for Returning Veterans?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(4), pages 784-815, October.
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    11. Scott E. Carrell & Bruce I. Sacerdote & James E. West, 2013. "From Natural Variation to Optimal Policy? The Importance of Endogenous Peer Group Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 81(3), pages 855-882, May.
    12. Andrew Barr, 2015. "From the Battlefield to the Schoolyard: The Short- Term Impact of the Post- 9/11 GI Bill," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(3), pages 580-613.
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    Cited by:

    1. Goldin, Jacob & Homonoff, Tatiana & Patterson, Richard & Skimmyhorn, William, 2020. "How much to save? Decision costs and retirement plan participation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    active choice; GI Bill; randomized controlled trial;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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