Do Environmental Messages Work on the Poor? Experimental Evidence from Brazilian Favelas
通过在巴西17个贫民窟的随机实验，研究了货币激励与环境劝说信息对穷人购买节能灯泡的影响，发现劝说信息显著提高了购买率，尤其对中等价格和较富裕女性群体效果更明显。
In developed countries, the combined use of monetary and nonmonetary incentives, such as subsidies and social norms, has been shown to encourage the adoption of energy-saving technologies and conservation behaviors. However, little is known about the effect of these approaches in developing countries, which account for most of the growth in energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. Using a randomized experiment conducted in 17 favelas (shantytowns) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this paper investigates the interplay between three levels of monetary incentives and an environmental persuasion communication on the take-up of an energy-efficient lightbulb (a light-emitting diode or, LED). On average, the persuasive communication significantly increases LED take-up by 6 percentage points (a 13% increase). This effect is driven by a 13 percentage point (20%) increase in take-up at the middle price. Richer participants and females respond the most to the communication.