The Behavioral Incidence of Nudges: Evidence from Social Norms and Locus of Control

Theo Savey (), Gwenolé Le Velly (), Sébastien Roussel () and Alexandre Sauquet ()
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Theo Savey: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Gwenolé Le Velly: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Sébastien Roussel: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Alexandre Sauquet: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier

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Abstract: Nudges are widely used in public policy and experimental economics, yet many fail to achieve their intended effects. Beyond design considerations, recent studies point to heterogeneity in individuals' responsiveness to nudges. We argue that this heterogeneity gives nudges a behavioral incidence: just as economists have long studied how the costs of taxes and regulations fall unevenly across individuals, the effects of behavioral interventions may be concentrated among specific segments of the population rather than spread evenly across it. Yet little is known about who these individuals are and why. In this paper, we study one candidate determinant of this heterogeneity: a psychological trait known as locus of control (LOC). LOC refers to the extent to which individuals believe that life outcomes are determined by their own actions (internal locus) rather than by external forces such as luck or situational factors (externa

Keywords: Ultimatum Game.; Social norms; Nudges; Locus of control; Behavioral incidence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05708114v1
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