Applying behavioral insights to increase rural and remote internships: Results from two Randomized Controlled Trials

A.M. Jeanette Deetlefs, Jenny Chalmers, Karen Tindall, Cindy Wiryakusuma-McLeod, Sue Bennett, Iain Hay, Jacqueline Humphries, Michelle J. Eady, Lynette Cronin and Karl Rudd

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2021, vol. 92, issue C

Abstract: Worldwide, organizations struggle to attract professionals in rural and remote (R&R) areas. Undertaking a placement in an R&R area as part of a program of study has been shown to increase the likelihood of graduates taking up positions in locations that are difficult to staff. We applied behavioral insights to develop low cost, scalable interventions to encourage pre-service teachers to undertake internships in R&R areas of Australia. We tested the effectiveness of removing behavioral barriers when researching R&R areas and adding social triggers to make the R&R opportunity relevant. Our first randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested the use of personalized communication from an influential messenger to highlight the benefits of an R&R internship. Our second RCT tested the offer of social support by allowing pre-service teachers to complete the R&R internship with a “buddy”, rather than alone. Our behavioral approaches trebled R&R internship applications in RCT 1. These findings provide insights for cost-effectively increasing R&R internships in teaching, healthcare or social work.

Keywords: Randomized controlled trial; Nudges; Professional experience; Internships; Rural and remote (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 I25 I28 J6 R23 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:92:y:2021:i:c:s2214804321000045

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2021.101664

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