Nudging at scale: Experimental evidence from FAFSA completion campaigns

Kelli A. Bird, Benjamin L. Castleman, Jeffrey Denning, Joshua Goodman (), Cait Lamberton and Kelly Ochs Rosinger

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2021, vol. 183, issue C, 105-128

Abstract: Do successful local nudge interventions maintain efficacy when scaled state or nationwide? We investigate, through two randomized controlled trials, the impact of a national and state-level campaign encouraging students to apply for financial aid for college. The campaigns collectively reached over 800,000 students, with multiple treatment arms patterned after prior local interventions in order to explore potential mechanisms. We find no impacts on aid receipt or college enrollment overall or for any subgroups. We find no evidence that different approaches to message framing, delivery, or timing, or access to one-on-one advising affected campaign efficacy. We discuss why nudge strategies that work locally may be hard to scale effectively.

Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Working Paper: Nudging at Scale: Experimental Evidence from FAFSA Completion Campaigns (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:183:y:2021:i:c:p:105-128

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2020.12.022

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