Fredrik Carlsson, Professor of Economics at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden shared the results of his most recent research with the faculty members: Green Consumption: The Role of Nudging.
According to Professor Carlsson, his research focuses on how to make people change their choices without changing economic incentives or forbidding or telling them what to do, just by changing their choice environment.
Professor Carlsson’s group researches the behavior of 1857 householders in Jericó, Antioquia. The group rolled out a social information campaign (the nudge) on water use during a year. In particular, the research team provided households with regular feedback on their water consumption relative to that of their neighbors”.
It was found that, on average, the social-norm intervention reduced water use by 5-6%. Notably, significant spillovers were also reported: the most responsive household´s also reduced their electricity consumption by 9%.
Professor Carlsson explained that their research results are similar to those found in industrialized cities. Thus, individual behavior may be determined by similar factors whether in a Swedish city or in a rural town in Colombia.