The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life by Uri Gneezy, John List
Authors: Uri Gneezy, John List
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product of a public school system, and her mother was a teacher.
We had little idea what we had gotten ourselves into. Most well-intended, wealthy donors we knew wrote a big check for research and, with a flourish of the pen, said something like “You can talk about your results at my next dinner party.” But the Griffins were different.
We launched into some theories of behavioral economics, summarized a bit of our research, and walked through our ideas about what kinds of incentives might work with the Chicago Heights school kids. As we talked, their eyes lit up.
Even though a few hours of the Griffins’ time is probably worth tens of thousands of dollars, they spent a long time meticulouslyworking through our experimental ideas, surprising us with their knowledge and insight. “Why do you think people overweigh small probabilities?” they asked us. “Why do you think so many young people don’t think graduating matters?” Both Kenneth and Anne grilled us and sharpened our ideas with thoughts of their own. Like us, they wanted whatever interventions we came up with to be scalable, firmly grounded in theory, and cost-effective.
The Griffins soon became our full research partners. They passionately believe in bettering America’s public education system, understanding that doing so is the only way to improve people’s lives and the economy in general. They wanted to get up to their elbows in interventions that could help urban kids overcome the education gap and raise American educational standards in general.
By the time we left the room, we were convinced of one thing: had they gone the academic route, both Ken and Anne would have been our research equals and then some. We departed with a solid experimental design on our hands, and within twenty-four hours, the Griffins gave us the initial $400,000 we needed to run the experiment.
Before we entered the room that day, Ken and Anne knew how they wanted to change the world; we were fortunate enough to show up in the right place at the right time. Suddenly we understood how Columbus must have felt when Queen Isabella gave him the resources to find the New World. We not only found donors, but two new friends; indeed, our new colleagues would help us tackle one of the most important problems facing America today.
The Voyage to Public Schools
One day, a kind, slim redhead with the gentle demeanor of a good high school counselor called Kevin Muncy into her office. Hername was Sally Sadoff, and at the time she was one of our graduate students administering our experiment. 4 When Kevin came in, Sally smiled broadly at him. “How’s it been, starting in a new school?”
“I like it. It’s really easy.”
“The classes are really easy? Let’s see what your report card says.” She scanned Kevin’s awful grades. “So Kevin,” Sally asked kindly, “what do you need to improve on?”
“Everything.”
“So you probably want to know what you can get if you meet the new monthly achievement standards—no unexcused absences, no daylong suspensions, and grades of C or higher in all your classes. Right?” She pulled out a folder and handed it to him.
Kevin opened the folder. “Fifty bucks?”
Sally smiled. “And you get $50 every month as long as you keep your grades up!”
“I think a lot of people will start doing their homework then.”
“But what about you?”
Kevin began to dream a little. “What could I do with $50 a month? I could pay for my skateboards. Get sponsors and clothes and stuff until I graduate.” On hearing about this incentive, Kevin’s mom doubled it: if he raised his grades to the monthly standards, he could earn $100 a month.
But there were more incentives, and Sally made a big deal of them. In fact, we pulled out all the stops we could think of. At the end of each month during the eight-month program, the kids all lined up in the school cafeteria for free pizza and the big payout. Each one was called up to a table where
We had little idea what we had gotten ourselves into. Most well-intended, wealthy donors we knew wrote a big check for research and, with a flourish of the pen, said something like “You can talk about your results at my next dinner party.” But the Griffins were different.
We launched into some theories of behavioral economics, summarized a bit of our research, and walked through our ideas about what kinds of incentives might work with the Chicago Heights school kids. As we talked, their eyes lit up.
Even though a few hours of the Griffins’ time is probably worth tens of thousands of dollars, they spent a long time meticulouslyworking through our experimental ideas, surprising us with their knowledge and insight. “Why do you think people overweigh small probabilities?” they asked us. “Why do you think so many young people don’t think graduating matters?” Both Kenneth and Anne grilled us and sharpened our ideas with thoughts of their own. Like us, they wanted whatever interventions we came up with to be scalable, firmly grounded in theory, and cost-effective.
The Griffins soon became our full research partners. They passionately believe in bettering America’s public education system, understanding that doing so is the only way to improve people’s lives and the economy in general. They wanted to get up to their elbows in interventions that could help urban kids overcome the education gap and raise American educational standards in general.
By the time we left the room, we were convinced of one thing: had they gone the academic route, both Ken and Anne would have been our research equals and then some. We departed with a solid experimental design on our hands, and within twenty-four hours, the Griffins gave us the initial $400,000 we needed to run the experiment.
Before we entered the room that day, Ken and Anne knew how they wanted to change the world; we were fortunate enough to show up in the right place at the right time. Suddenly we understood how Columbus must have felt when Queen Isabella gave him the resources to find the New World. We not only found donors, but two new friends; indeed, our new colleagues would help us tackle one of the most important problems facing America today.
The Voyage to Public Schools
One day, a kind, slim redhead with the gentle demeanor of a good high school counselor called Kevin Muncy into her office. Hername was Sally Sadoff, and at the time she was one of our graduate students administering our experiment. 4 When Kevin came in, Sally smiled broadly at him. “How’s it been, starting in a new school?”
“I like it. It’s really easy.”
“The classes are really easy? Let’s see what your report card says.” She scanned Kevin’s awful grades. “So Kevin,” Sally asked kindly, “what do you need to improve on?”
“Everything.”
“So you probably want to know what you can get if you meet the new monthly achievement standards—no unexcused absences, no daylong suspensions, and grades of C or higher in all your classes. Right?” She pulled out a folder and handed it to him.
Kevin opened the folder. “Fifty bucks?”
Sally smiled. “And you get $50 every month as long as you keep your grades up!”
“I think a lot of people will start doing their homework then.”
“But what about you?”
Kevin began to dream a little. “What could I do with $50 a month? I could pay for my skateboards. Get sponsors and clothes and stuff until I graduate.” On hearing about this incentive, Kevin’s mom doubled it: if he raised his grades to the monthly standards, he could earn $100 a month.
But there were more incentives, and Sally made a big deal of them. In fact, we pulled out all the stops we could think of. At the end of each month during the eight-month program, the kids all lined up in the school cafeteria for free pizza and the big payout. Each one was called up to a table where
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