Indigenous Government and Default Nudges

Traditional Indigenous democracy produces more equitable public services

A study compared similar poor indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico to test whether communities that use more traditional models of local governance are better at providing essential services than those that use more modern systems built around political parties. Traditionally governed communities provide essential services such as piped water and sewage more effectively and equitably compared to communities ruled by modern political party models. This difference may be due to the traditional systems involving more widespread community service and more constant community participation through assemblies where many decisions are made using direct democracy.

Nudge the behavior, not the intention

One of the more common behavioral nudges is the default nudge, where you make a desired behavior the default choice, so that people are more likely to go along with it than would be to actively choose it. Two recent studies help us understand how these default nudges are the most effective. The first study showed that the default nudge was effective at getting students to register for an optional test to allow them access to a more advanced education, but had no effect on whether or not students actually took the test. The second study showed that when sit-stand desks were defaulted to a standing height, the percentage of government workers who worked standing up increased from less than 2% to over 13%, with the effect of the one-time intervention persisting for at least two months, while also changing social norms about working while standing. Together these studies tell us that default nudges can be effective, but they should be proximate to the actual behavior we want to see.

Do you have a study we should share for a future Facty Friday? Send an email to drg.el@usaid.gov!