IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp17013.html

Can Reminders Promote Regular Pro-Environmental Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Peru

Author

Listed:
  • Fuhrmann-Riebel, Hanna

    (University of East Anglia)

  • D'Exelle, Ben

    (University of East Anglia)

  • López Vargas, Kristian

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • Tonke, Sebastian

    (Technische Universität München)

  • Verschoor, Arjan

    (University of East Anglia)

Abstract

Tackling environmental pollution requires a permanent change in regular, repeated behavior of households. Bringing about change in such behavior may require interventions that are not limited to a single point in time, yet little evidence exists on how frequently we need to target households to initiate behavioral change and to form new habits in regular pro-environmental behavior. To fill this gap, we investigate the impact of mobile text reminders on households' recycling behavior in urban Peru, by randomly varying the frequency of reminders over a nine-week treatment period. We find that reminders increase both the likelihood that households start to recycle, and the frequency of recycling among households that already recycled before the intervention. The effects are stronger if reminders are repeated over a longer period. Our findings suggest that low-cost mobile text reminders can support repeated pro-environmental behavior, and that some repetition may be needed to maximize their effectiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuhrmann-Riebel, Hanna & D'Exelle, Ben & López Vargas, Kristian & Tonke, Sebastian & Verschoor, Arjan, 2024. "Can Reminders Promote Regular Pro-Environmental Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Peru," IZA Discussion Papers 17013, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17013
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp17013.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dustan, Andrew & Hernandez-Agramonte, Juan Manuel & Maldonado, Stanislao, 2023. "Motivating bureaucrats with behavioral insights when state capacity is weak: Evidence from large-scale field experiments in Peru," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    2. Grácio, Matilde & Vicente, Pedro C., 2021. "Information, get-out-the-vote messages, and peer influence: Causal effects on political behavior in Mozambique," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Muller, Paul & Habla, Wolfgang, 2018. "Experimental and non-experimental evidence on limited attention and present bias at the gym," Working Papers in Economics 743, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    4. Catherine Larochelle & Jeffrey Alwang & Elli Travis & Victor Hugo Barrera & Juan Manuel Dominguez Andrade, 2019. "Did You Really Get the Message? Using Text Reminders to Stimulate Adoption of Agricultural Technologies," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(4), pages 548-564, April.
    5. Steven Wallander & Paul Ferraro & Nathaniel Higgins, 2017. "Addressing Participant Inattention in Federal Programs: A Field Experiment with The Conservation Reserve Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(4), pages 914-931.
    6. Saugato Datta & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2014. "Behavioral Design: A New Approach to Development Policy," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 7-35, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Czajkowski, Mikołaj & Zagórska, Katarzyna & Letki, Natalia & Tryjanowski, Piotr & Wąs, Adam, 2021. "Drivers of farmers’ willingness to adopt extensive farming practices in a globally important bird area," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. repec:ags:aaea22:344038 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Mwambi, Mercy & Depenbusch, Lutz & Bonnarith, Uon & Sotelo-Cardona, Paola & Kieu, Khemrin & di Tada, Nicolas & Srinivasan, Ramasamy & Schreinemachers, Pepijn, 2023. "Can phone text messages promote the use of integrated pest management? A study of vegetable farmers in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    4. Assogba, Noel Perceval & Zhang, Daowei, 2022. "The conservation reserve program and timber prices in the southern United States," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Bjorn Van Campenhout & David J. Spielman & Els Lecoutere, 2021. "Information and Communication Technologies to Provide Agricultural Advice to Smallholder Farmers: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 317-337, January.
    6. Janusch, Nicholas & Palm-Forster, Leah H. & Messer, Kent D. & Ferraro, Paul J., "undated". "Behavioral Insights for Agri-Environmental Program and Policy Design," 2018 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting, January 5-7, 2018, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 266299, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Haoye Sun & Thorsten Teichert, 2024. "Scarcity in today´s consumer markets: scoping the research landscape by author keywords," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 93-120, February.
    8. Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay & Sarmiento, Jon Marx & Villano, Renato A. & Murray-Prior, Roy & Khan, Md. Farid Uddin & Alam, Md Mahafuj & Timsina, Krishna Prasad & Das, Kalyan K., 2023. "Nudging Via Text Reminders: Can Behavioural Economics Increase the Adoption of Conservation Agriculture-based Sustainable Intensification Technologies in South Asia?," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335953, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Eduardo Nakasone & Maximo Torero, 2016. "A text message away: ICTs as a tool to improve food security," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 49-59, November.
    10. Estefan, Alejandro & Ordoñez, Romina & Parilli, Cristina & Winters, Paul, 2025. "Hybrid agricultural extension and the adoption of climate-resilient varieties: Evidence from oil palm in the Amazon," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    11. Saugato Datta & Mukta Joshi & Catherine MacLeod & Michele Davide Zini, 2022. "Leveraging Behavioral Science to Increase the Impact of Economic Inclusion Programming," World Bank Publications - Reports 37353, The World Bank Group.
    12. Datta,Saugato & Miranda Montero,Juan Jose & Zoratto,Laura De Castro & Calvo-Gonzalez,Oscar & Darlingm,Matthew & Lorenzana,Karina Josephine Orduna, 2015. "A behavioral approach to water conservation: evidence from Costa Rica," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7283, The World Bank.
    13. Sanjit Dhami & Ali al-Nowaihi, 2018. "Rationality in Economics: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 6872, CESifo.
    14. Luc Behaghel & Karen Macours & Julie Subervie, 2019. "How can randomised controlled trials help improve the design of the common agricultural policy?," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 46(3), pages 473-493.
    15. Sabrina Eisenbarth & Louis Graham & Anouk S. Rigterink, 2021. "Can Reminders of Rules Induce Compliance? Experimental Evidence from a Common Pool Resource Setting," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 79(4), pages 653-681, August.
    16. Baaken, Marieke C. & Thomas, Fabian & Engel, Stefanie & Fritschle, Moritz Peter & Ortiz-Riomalo, Felipe & Rellensmann, T., 2025. "Advancing Agri-Environmental Policy with Behavioral and Experimental Economics: Insights, Innovations, and Future Directions," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 50(4), December.
    17. Julia K. Brown & Tetyana V. Zelenska & Mushfiq A. Mobarak, 2013. "Barriers to Adoption of Products and Technologies that Aid Risk Management in Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Reports 16365, The World Bank Group.
    18. Rodrigo Abed & Haroon Sseguya & James Flock & Silvanus Mruma & Hamisi Mwango, 2020. "An Evolving Agricultural Extension Model for Lasting Impact: How Willing Are Tanzanian Farmers to Pay for Extension Services?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-13, October.
    19. Markus Jäntti & Ravi Kanbur & Jukka Pirttilä, 2014. "Poverty, Development, and Behavioral Economics," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 1-6, March.
    20. Bonan, Jacopo & Battiston, Pietro & Bleck, Jaimie & LeMay-Boucher, Philippe & Pareglio, Stefano & Sarr, Bassirou & Tavoni, Massimo, 2021. "Social interaction and technology adoption: Experimental evidence from improved cookstoves in Mali," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    21. George W. Norton, 2020. "Lessons from a Career in Agricultural Development and Research Evaluation," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 151-167, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17013. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mark Fallak (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaalu.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.