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This paper presents the findings of a large‐scale randomized controlled field trial that tests the interest of informal businesses in free and online business registration. In collaboration with the Indonesian government, we designed a free and easy to use online registration portal for small businesses and sent WhatsApp or text messages to around 50 000 businesses to inform them about this new registration portal. We find that sending three rounds of short WhatsApp or text messages resulted in 3.4% of recipients clicking the registration link in the messages. Only 0.1% of recipients registered through the portal. Different phrasing of messages results in different click rate, different registration rate, and different rates the sender's number is blocked. Neutral message performs the best, followed by message that emphasizes that registration is easy. Message that appeals to people's patriotic feelings or message that emphasizes that registration is free performs the last. ENDNOTES: To test the interest of informal businesses in free and online business registration, we designed a free and easy to use online registration portal for small businesses in collaboration with the Indonesian government and sent WhatsApp or text messages to around 40 000 businesses to inform them about this new registration portal. We find that the messages resulted in 3.4% of recipients clicking the registration link in the message and 0.1% of recipients registering through the portal. Interestingly, different phrasing of messages resulted in different click rate, different registration rate, and different rates the sender's number was blocked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes towards filling a 'blind spot' in the field of climate finance by investigating the role of climate finance for behavioural insights in developing countries. The evidence review synthesises 71 high‐quality studies and focuses on clean fuel adoption and household energy‐saving behaviour in developing countries. The synthesis finds that there is a need for climate finance from developed countries that is more targeted towards interventions and measures that support household decision‐making in developing countries by engaging with stakeholders that understand local attitudes, constraints and knowledge levels governing the perception of health and environmental risks associated with energy‐consuming technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the quality of medical care delivered by physicians can be very good, it can also be inconsistent and feature behaviours that are entrenched despite updated information and evidence. The "nudge" paradigm for behaviour change is being used to bring clinical practice in line with desired standards. The premise is that behaviour can be voluntarily shifted by making particular choices instinctively appealing. We reviewed studies that are explicit about their use of nudge theory in influencing clinician behaviour. Methods: Databases were searched from April 2008 (the publication date of the book that introduced nudge theory to a wider audience) to November 2018, inclusive. The search strategy and narrative review of results addressed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Results: 22 studies were identified. Randomized trials or pre‐post comparisons were generally used in community‐based settings; single‐site pre‐post studies were favoured in hospitals. The studies employed eight intervention types: active choice; patient chart redesign; default and default alerts; partitioning of prescription menus; audit and feedback; commitment messages; peer comparisons; and redirection of workflow. Three core cognitive factors underpinned the eight interventions: bias towards prominent choices (salience); predisposition to social norms; and bias towards time or cost savings. Conclusions: Published studies that are explicit about their use of nudge theory are few in number and diverse in their settings, targets, and results. Default and chart re‐design interventions reported the most substantial improvements in adherence to evidence and guideline‐based practice. Studies that are explicit in their use of nudge theory address the widespread failure of clinical practice studies to identify theoretical frameworks for interventions. However, few studies identified in our review engaged in research to understand the contextual and site‐specific barriers to a desired behaviour before designing a nudge intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The global prevalence of children with overweight and obesity continues to rise. Obesity in childhood has dire long‐term consequences on health, social and economic outcomes. Promising interventions using behavioural insights to address obesity in childhood have emerged. This systematic review examines the effectiveness and health equity implications of interventions using behavioural insights to improve children's diet‐related outcomes. The search strategy included searches on six electronic databases, reference lists of previous systematic reviews and backward searching of all included studies. One‐hundred and eight papers describing 137 interventions were included. Interventions using behavioural insights were effective at modifying children's diet‐related outcomes in 74% of all included interventions. The most promising approaches involved using incentives, changing defaults and modifying the physical environment. Information provision alone was the least effective approach. Health equity implications were rarely analysed or discussed. There was limited evidence of the sustainability of interventions—both in relation to their overall effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness. The limited evidence on health equity, long‐term effectiveness and the cost‐effectiveness of these interventions limit what can be inferred for policymakers. This review synthesises the use of behavioural insights to improve children's diet‐related outcomes, which can be used to inform future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are neither completely rational, nor completely random in their decisions. Rather, they exhibit predictable biases that not only make it less likely that they will achieve their own stated desires, but also complicate the design and efficiency of public policy. These are some of the insights of the emerging applied behavioural sciences. With some notable exceptions, these insights have not always filtered through to policy formulation. Policy related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians is one example of an area where insights from the applied behavioural sciences have the potential to improve the quality of policy decisions. A large amount of government funds is spent on Indigenous people reflecting a high degree of disadvantage. This paper provides new data and insights to understand the patterns and factors associated with decisions made by Indigenous people, thereby helping to improve the effectiveness of Indigenous policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]