Decreasing compliance costs using behavioral interventions: An evaluation of lead testing in Chicago

Authors

  • Sarah Souders Syracuse University
  • Leonard Lopoo Syracuse University
  • Sheena Mirpuri The Behavioral Insights Team
  • Patrick Schwer City of Chicago Department of Water Management
  • Emily Cardon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30636/qdvm9654

Keywords:

RCT, Behavioral interventions, Simplification, SMS reminders, Compliance cost

Abstract

Exposure to lead is a well-documented public health concern. One source of exposure is water transported via lead pipes. As the city with the most lead service lines, Chicago offers at-home lead testing. However, at-home testing is a multi-step process with considerable compliance costs for residents who choose to engage with the city’s service. This study has two components designed to reduce compliance costs: a randomized control trial (RCT) testing the effectiveness of a text message reminder on lead test kit returns and a pre/post evaluation of the redesign of instructions for completing the lead testing kit. Results show the text reminder increased test kit returns by more than 200 percent and the redesigned kits increased use by 20 percent. Subsequent analyses show that the text message intervention was equally effective across the income distribution. These large, universal effect sizes indicate the usefulness of behavioral interventions to reduce resident compliance costs in multi-step processes at the local level.

Author Biographies

  • Leonard Lopoo, Syracuse University

    Leonard M. Lopoo is the Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics, professor of public administration and international affairs, director and co-founder of the Maxwell X Lab, and senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research. Lopoo has been on the faculty at Syracuse University since 2003. His research is interdisciplinary and his interests primarily involve the family: fertility, marriage, maternal employment and the social welfare policies designed to assist the low-income population.

    He has published in a number of journals, including Demography, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and Journal of Public Economics, among many others. He has received funding from a number of federal agencies and foundations, including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Aging, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and the Allyn Family Foundation.

    He is the recipient of numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the Birkhead-Burkhead Teaching Excellence Award (twice), the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award, the Meredith Professors Recognition Award, and the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize.

    Lopoo received a Ph.D. from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago in 2001, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University from 2001-2003. 

  • Emily Cardon

    Emily is a Principal Advisor and the Head of Research for BIT North America. She oversees the quality and rigor of BIT’s evaluations across its portfolio of partners. Emily specializes in experimental and quasi-experimental design and analysis, and provides methodological support for the team to develop feasible and innovative research plans. Her research focuses on the application of behavioral insights to improve public administration and evidence-based policymaking.

    Emily earned her PhD in Public Administration from Syracuse University, where she also completed her MPA. She also holds a BA in International Affairs from Boston College, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to her graduate studies, Emily worked as a legislative aide for Congressman Jim Himes in the U.S. House of Representatives, covering issues related to health, education and social policy.

Additional Files

Published

2024-07-12

Issue

Vol. 7 (2024)

Section

Research Articles

License

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