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Evaluating Public Policies for Water Conservation
A city facing a severe drought is considering two different policies to encourage residents to reduce their water consumption.
Policy A: Launch a city-wide public information campaign that uses advertisements and mailers to explain the long-term environmental and financial consequences of the water shortage. The campaign will also provide a list of tips for conserving water at home.
Policy B: Redesign the monthly water bill to include a graph showing the household's water usage compared to the average usage of their neighbors and the average usage of the most water-efficient households in their neighborhood.
Critique both policies. Which policy is likely to be more effective at changing behavior in the short term? Justify your evaluation by contrasting the assumptions about human decision-making that underlie each approach.
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Social Science
Empirical Science
Science
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Evaluating Public Policies for Water Conservation
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