Field Experiment on Fining Parents for Late Pick-ups at Daycare

Evaluating a Policy for Community Garden Maintenance

A field experiment was conducted in several daycare centers where, previously, there was no penalty for parents who picked up their children late. In a portion of these centers, a small monetary fine was introduced for late pickups. Counterintuitively, the introduction of the fine led to an increase in the number of parents arriving late. Which of the following statements best analyzes the mechanism behind this outcome?

Critiquing an Economic Experiment's Design

Based on the findings from the field experiment on daycare lateness, imposing a monetary fine for late pickups successfully reinforced the existing social norm that being on time is a matter of courtesy.

Analyzing Policy Backfire

Analyzing the Impact of Fines on Behavior

In a famous economic experiment, introducing a small monetary fine for parents who picked up their children late from a daycare center surprisingly led to an increase in late pickups. The fine seemed to change the parents' perception from a social obligation (feeling guilty for being late) to a market transaction (paying for a service). If a new experiment were conducted where the fine was made substantially larger—equal to the full cost of one day of care—what would be the most likely outcome?

In a well-known economic field experiment, a small monetary fine was introduced at some daycare centers to discourage parents from picking up their children late. The fine unexpectedly led to an increase in lateness. Match each key concept from the analysis of this experiment with its correct description.

Evaluating Policy Proposals for a Public Service

Assessing a Proposed City Policy