In the 1980s, the federal government sponsored several field experiments to evaluate alternative approaches to reducing voluntary unemployment and improving the functioning of the unemployment insurance (UI) system. Four of these experiments involved the offer of bonuses to encourage more rapid return to work by UI recipients. Other experiments to enhance work search and to encourage self-emplo...

Abstract What drives Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) engagement of firms? Most empirical literature on firms’ CSR focuses benefits resulting from which are granted by the public. Other studies argue that firms driven fear negative public reactions. This raises, firstly, question, whether rewards or punishments drive firms. Secondly, how can we find out, more relevant? study starts out obs...

Community energy (CE) represents a potentially critical means of accelerating sustainable and equitable transition. However, in many countries, it is experiencing period stagnation, typically following the dilution or removal supportive government policies. In absence substantive capital grant funding, attracting finance has become increasingly important for CE sector but remains highly challen...

Abstract While existing research suggests that nineteenth-century child labor laws largely failed to significantly reduce children’s workforce participation, we examine whether policies tackled the problem by providing aid – rather than penalizing work were more effective. Between 1910 and 1920, forty U.S. states enacted mothers’ pension programs, giving needy “deserving” mothers, typically wid...

In many countries around the world, including Iran, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Doctors have recently taken, or expressed support for, an extreme ‘personal responsibility for health’ policy against obesity: refusing services to obese patients. This policy may initially seem to improve patients’ incentives to fight obesity. But turning access to medical services into a benefit depe...