Frictions in recovering unclaimed property: Evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment

Alejandro Zentner and Justin Holz

Journal of Public Economics, 2025, vol. 249, issue C

Abstract: Governments hold billions of dollars in assets abandoned or forgotten by their owners. We conducted a large-scale natural field experiment to understand the role of filing frictions preventing claims of this property. Overall, increasing awareness and providing instructions increased claims substantially. We also study unequal access. In the control group, Hispanic property owners are 64 % less likely to claim their property than White owners, leading to unequal access to one’s own property. Hispanic subjects are also less responsive to aid. We discuss policy implications and how the setting we introduce can be used to conduct natural field experiments without the biases and restrictions that may arise when conducting experiments with a partner organization.

Keywords: Unclaimed property; Nudge; Filing frictions; Race; Ethnicity; Natural field experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 H2 H4 H7 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:249:y:2025:i:c:s0047272725001471

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105449

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