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Sorting It Out: Contribution-Action Gap in Waste Segregation in Urban India

Author

Listed:
  • Basistha, Ahana

    (Indian Statistical Institute)

  • Prakash, Nishith

    (Northeastern University)

  • Sherif, Raisa

    (Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance)

Abstract

Urban waste management challenges pose significant health and economic consequences. Although source-level waste segregation offers a promising solution, its success depends on household participation. Through a randomized controlled trial in the capital city of Bihar, India, we evaluate how light-touch messaging interventions influence household waste management practices. Our results reveal a stark behavioral disconnect: while interventions increased financial contributions to waste segregation initiativesby 9.6 - 11.7 percent compared to the control group, they failed to improve actual waste segregation practices. This gap between financial support and behavioral change highlights the complexity of promoting sustainable waste management practices in urban households.

Suggested Citation

  • Basistha, Ahana & Prakash, Nishith & Sherif, Raisa, 2024. "Sorting It Out: Contribution-Action Gap in Waste Segregation in Urban India," IZA Discussion Papers 17508, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17508
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    willingness to contribute; household waste management; religious messaging; civic messaging; waste segregation; field experiment; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products

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