@techreport{62697,
  abstract     = {{Urged by the European Energy Crisis and the threatening consequences of severe
natural gas shortages, energy providers launched gas-saving initiatives incor-
porating financial incentives to reduce residential natural gas consumption. In
collaboration with one of Germany’s largest energy providers, we conducted
a natural field experiment (N = 2,598) to evaluate the effectiveness of a
behaviorally-guided co-design of such a gas-saving initiative by implementing
two established behavioral instruments – reminders of gas saving intentions and
descriptive norm feedback. Our findings show limited effectiveness of the behav-
ioral instruments during the high-price period. The feedback risks a “boomerang
effect” among households with above-average initial savings, who reduce their
conservation efforts in response. The reminder does not significantly enhance sav-
ings in our main specifications, yet, realizes 1 percentage point savings in alternate
models refining for outliers. Potential mechanisms include a significant intention-
action gap and misperceived effectiveness of energy-saving actions, which are not
alleviated by the reminder.}},
  author       = {{Tinnefeld, Vicky and Kesternich, Martin and Werthschulte, Madeline}},
  keywords     = {{Residential energy savings, energy crisis, behavioral interventions, survey data, field experiment}},
  publisher    = {{ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60}},
  title        = {{{Do Energy-Saving Nudges Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European Energy Crisis}}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

@techreport{56494,
  abstract     = {{Many industrialized countries have recognized the need to mitigate energy cost increases faced by low-income households by fostering the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. How to meet this need is an open question, but “behavioral insights” are likely components of future policy designs. Applying well-established behavioral insights to low-income house- holds raises questions of transportability as they are typically underrepresented in the existing evidence base. We illustrate this problem by conducting a randomized field experiment on scalable, low-cost design elements to improve program take-up in one of the world’s largest en- ergy efficiency assistance programs. Observing investment decisions of over 1,800 low-income households in Germany’s “Refrigerator Replacement Program”, we find that the transportabil- ity problem is real and consequential: First, the most effective policy design would not have been chosen based on existing behavioral insights. Second, design elements favored by these insights either prove ineffective or even backfire, violating ‘do no harm’ principles of policy advice. Systematic testing remains crucial for addressing the transportability problem, partic- ularly for policies targeting vulnerable groups.
}},
  author       = {{Kesternich, Martin and Chlond , Bettina and Goeschl, Timo  and Werthschulte, Madeline}},
  keywords     = {{Transportability, low-income households, field experiment, randomized controlled trial, governmental welfare programs, energy efficiency, technology adoption}},
  publisher    = {{ AWI Discussion Paper Series No. 755}},
  title        = {{{Transporting behavioral insights to low-income households: A field experiment on energy efficiency investments}}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}

@article{34154,
  abstract     = {{Regulations to prevent ethnic discrimination in accessing the labor
market are implemented most thoroughly in the public sector. However, it remains
to be assessed if these regulations are internalized. We conducted a field
experiment to examine ethnic discrimination when applying for internships in
German municipalities by unsolicited inquiries. We compared responses in
German cities to Turkish, Italian, and German applicants in two periods, and find
consistent disadvantages for the Turkish and Italian applicants as well as
differences related to gender. Thus, the likelihood for ethnic discrimination rises
when applying for positions in public institutions that are not subject to
regulations.}},
  author       = {{Auer, Thorsten Fabian and Ekemen, Helin and Hagedorn, Carolin and Heise, Chantal and Rese, Christine}},
  issn         = {{1681 8997}},
  journal      = {{Empirical Economics Letters}},
  keywords     = {{Ethnic Discrimination, Public Sector, Field Experiment, Application Procedure}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{47--55}},
  title        = {{{Same Different but not Same Same: Ethnic Discrimination in Application Procedures in the German Public Sector}}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}

@article{4697,
  author       = {{Sommerauer, Peter and Müller, Oliver}},
  isbn         = {{0360-1315}},
  issn         = {{03601315}},
  journal      = {{Computers and Education}},
  keywords     = {{Augmented reality, Cognitive theory of multimedia learning, Field experiment, Informal learning, Museum}},
  pages        = {{59----68}},
  title        = {{{Augmented reality in informal learning environments: A field experiment in a mathematics exhibition}}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.compedu.2014.07.013}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}