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The Impact of Defaults and Financial Incentives on Savings Decisions on a Mobile Money Platform in Afghanistan

Joshua Blumenstock
In partnership with a mobile network operator launching a new phone-based savings account, researchers evaluated the role of defaults and financial incentives on savings decisions. Two months after the launch of the phone-based savings account, the company’s employees randomly assigned a default...

Improving Price Negotiations and Profits through SMS-based Agricultural Information for Farmers in India

Researchers partnered with Thomson-Reuters to evaluate whether receiving information through SMS messages generated economic benefits for farmers in India. Results showed no effect of the intervention on prices, crop losses, or cultivation practices. However, increased access to information seems to...

The Impact of Phone-based Job Search Assistance on Women’s Economic Recovery From the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Nivedhitha Subramanian
Kate Vyborny
The economic crisis resulting from COVID-19 is expected to affect women disproportionately. In Pakistan, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to test the impact of a job search assistance platform on men's and women’s return to searching for jobs and working during the COVID-19...

Messaging Strategies to Promote Safe Water and Hygiene in Bangladesh

Kaniz Jannat
David Levine
Stephen Luby
Thomas Polley
Leanne Unicomb
Researchers tested whether sharing messages that appealed to negative emotions, like shame or disgust, increased households’ hand-washing behavior and willingness to pay for water chlorination in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Negative messaging had no impact on chlorination levels or willingness to pay, but...