On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, IPA hosted an interactive webinar aimed at researchers and practitioners in behavioral finance, as part of Financial Inclusion Week 2019. Researchers Jeremy Burke (USC) and Sean Higgins (Northwestern University) and IPA’s Michael Rosenbaum and Rebecca Rouse discussed findings and policy implications from two recent studies on prize-linked incentives in financial product design. An interactive Q&A session followed the discussion.

Financial products that incorporate sweepstake entries as incentives for use (or prize-linked) are increasingly popular in both developed and developing economies. Despite recent legislation in the US to enable prize-linkages in financial product design, rigorous evidence on whether these features can improve or even influence financial behavior is still limited. Two recent field experiments in the U.S. and in Mexico tested how consumers responded to prize-linked incentives, looking at impacts on debt repayment and financial access. Results highlight the limitations and complexities of prize-linked devices and point to the need for more research around the timing of incentives and customer segmentation, in particular on the most financially vulnerable.

Watch the webinar recording below:

About the Presenters:
 

Jeremy Burke, Senior Economist | University of Southern California, Center for Economic and Social Research
Jeremy Burke is an economist and Research Scientist at the University of Southern California's Center for Economic and Social Research. Dr. Burke has led multiple field experiments leveraging behavioral principles to help consumers build savings (with soft-commitment mechanisms), reduce debt (with lottery linked incentives), and build credit (with behavioral nudges).

Sean Higgins, Assistant Professor | Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Sean Higgins is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Household Finance at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research focuses on how technology can reduce barriers to financial inclusion and the effect of reducing those barriers on households and small firms.

Michael Rosenbaum, Senior Research Associate | Innovations for Poverty Action, Financial Inclusion Program
Michael Rosenbaum is a Senior Research Associate at IPA’s Financial Inclusion Program. He manages program rollout, data collection, and analysis on projects relating to behavioral economics, debt repayment, and household finance.

Rebecca Rouse, Director | Innovations for Poverty Action, Financial Inclusion Program
Rebecca Rouse directs IPA's Financial Inclusion Program, overseeing a portfolio of research initiatives and randomized evaluations to find effective solutions to help the poor manage and grow their money.