Our Masters in Behavioural Science is a unique programme run by the Adam Smith Business School and the School of Psychology & Neuroscience. We aim to shape tomorrow’s behavioural scientists through an...

Abstract. In a field experiment among 9,823 customers of the Namibian water utility, we implement interventions to reduce nonpayments. The interventions are based on diagnostic surveys to identify key obstacles to payments. They address informational frictions and apply psychological commitment techniques to narrow the gap between customers’ willingness to pay and actual payments. Initially, payments increase by 29% to 55%, making the interventions highly cost-effective. Removing informational frictions has a lasting impact, but the commitment techniques produce only short-term effects. We demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of behavioral interventions in settings where heavy-handed tools (e.g., disconnecting nonpayers) are difficult to implement.

Welcome TO ICSD 2026 We are delighted to announce that the International Conference on Social Dilemmas will be held in Shimonoseki, Japan, on June 1-5, 2026, at the Shimonoseki Grand Hotel. The confer...

Abstract. Bayesian updating is the dominant theory of learning. However, the theory is silent about how individuals react to events that were previously un

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...