Behavioral Economic Insights in Early Childhood Interventions

University-Based Child & Family Policy Consortium
Enhanced Active Choice • Requires individuals to make an explicit choice for themselves • Encourages individuals to think about an important decision and avoid procrastination
Social Network • The set of actors with whom an individual interacts and has relationships • Ideas, cues, preferences, and behaviors travel within social networks • Information is more likely to affect behavior when it is provided through strong ties than compared to weak ties
Social Norms • The rules and standards understood by group members that guide behavior . Parents may not yet have norms about participating in early education programs . Capitalize on new setting to establish norms
Emerging Findings From Our Work 1. Choice Structure: In opt-out condition, 96.2% of parents received information campaign vs. In opt-in condition, 1.4% of parents received information campaign 2. Social Influence: Parent attendance at first few sessions is high presenting opportunities to leverage social influence
Considering the Ethics of BE • Shaping the environment in which decisions are made to overcome cognitive biases → Libertarian Paternalism