Abstract:

Can we nudge children, youth and their parents to make better decisions on education? Such decisions involve immediate costs and potential, future benefits. Research suggests that behavioural barriers (e.g. lack of self-control, limited attention and social norms) likely influence choices in such settings. This raises the question as to whether low cost ‘nudges’ can improve people’s educational choices. While nudging does not always have desired effects, interventions providing commitment devices for study effort, non-monetary incentives and targeting cognitive or attentional limitations generally seem to be effective.

Link til working paper