PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mayer, Susan E.
AU  - Kalil, Ariel
AU  - Oreopoulos, Philip
AU  - Gallegos, Sebastian
TI  - Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Parental Engagement
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.54.4.0617.8835R
DP  - 2019 Oct 02
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 900--925
VI  - 54
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/54/4/900.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/54/4/900.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2019 Oct 02; 54
AB  - Parental engagement plays a key role in children’s future success. We implemented a behaviorally informed field experiment designed to increase the time parents spend using a digital library on an electronic tablet to read to their children. Behavioral tools—reminders, goal setting, and social rewards—more than doubled the amount of time parents spent reading using the electronic application (one standard deviation effect size) after the six-week intervention. The largest gains were for the most present-oriented parents. Our findings suggest substantial promise for the application of behavioral tools to parenting activities that promote investment in children’s human capital.