Essays in Applied Microeconomics

Abstract

This thesis uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods combined with real-world data to explore whether and how we may (or may not) leverage insights from psychology and economics to design simple non-monetary interventions aimed at helping individuals and groups to act in a way that is beneficial for themselves and society. The first chapter studies the impact of goal setting combined with real-time feedback on household water conservation in a water-stressed country. The second chapter shows that two different interventions aimed at reducing everyday energy consumption can become complements by each targeting different behavioral barriers. The third chapter tests a large-scale social media intervention to promote the adoption of digital contact tracing apps in the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth chapter uses a transparency reform in competitive figure skating to study whether high public visibility can improve decision making in committees.