Around the world, low immunizations rates for children are a persistent problem. Now, an experiment conducted in India shows that an inexpensive combination of methods, including text reminders and small financial incentives, has a major impact on immunization. Led by MIT economists, the research finds that a trifecta of incentives, text messages, and information provided by local residents creates a 44 percent increase in child immunizations, at low cost. Alternately, without financial incentives, but still using text messages and local information, there is a 9 percent increase in immunizations at virtually no expense ' the most cost-effective increase the researchers found. 'The most effective package overall has incentives, reminders, and enlisting of community ambassadors to remind people,' says MIT economist Esther Duflo, who helped lead the research. 'The cost is very low. And an even more cost-effective package is to not have incentives ' you can increase immunization just...
learn more
