ARC Talk: Karl Hauser, Université Grenoble Alpes: True Nudges and True Boosts (and Hybrids): Why does the Distinction Matter?

This talk introduces a conceptual framework that differentiates Nudge and Boost interventions based on four key functional dimensions: (i) Management of Bias, (ii) Facilitation of Behaviour, (iii) Transparency of Intent and (iv) Scope of Intervention. A True Nudge caters to biases through prescriptive facilitation, implicit intent and a local scope. A True Boost reduces biases through descriptive facilitation, explicit intent and a general scope. From these distinctions, we derive behavioural predictions: True Boosts should generate time-persistent behavioural impacts, but require intrinsic motivation from policy recipients. True Nudges should produce immediate, short-lived effects that do not dependent on motivation.
We test these predictions in a laboratory experiment with 574 consumers. Beside a True Nudge and a True Boost, we examine a hybrid behavioural intervention: the Nutri-Score – this European food labelling system shares aspects of both True Nudge and True Boosts as it is simultaneously local in scope and explicit in intent. For all three interventions, we evaluate the persistence of their impact on behaviour as a function of participant’s intrinsic motivation to choose the healthiest food item. Results align with theoretical expectations: The effect of the True Nudge dissipates once withdrawn and is unaffected by decision-maker motivation. The effect of the True Boost persists after removal but depends on the intrinsic motivation of the decision-maker. Finally, the Nutri-Score intervention lacks persistence but is motivation-dependent, acting as a lacklustre Nudge for unmotivated and a powerful Boost for motivated consumers.

Hybrid talk: https://arc.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/public-with-recording/
Meeting-ID: 659 9390 5815
Passcode: 146785