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Incentivizing Safer Sexual Behavior: Evidence from a Lottery Experiment on HIV Prevention

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  • Björkman Nyqvist, Martina
  • de Walque, Damien
  • Corno, Lucia
  • Svensson, Jakob

Abstract

The need for effective HIV prevention programs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, remains urgent. We investigate the effect of a financial lottery program in Lesotho with relatively low expected payments but a chance to win a high prize conditional on negative test results for sexually transmitted infections. The intervention resulted in a 21.4% reduction in HIV incidence over two years. Lottery incentives appear to be particularly effective in targeting individuals with ex ante risky sexual behavior, consistent with the hypothesis that lotteries are more valued by individuals willing to take risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Björkman Nyqvist, Martina & de Walque, Damien & Corno, Lucia & Svensson, Jakob, 2016. "Incentivizing Safer Sexual Behavior: Evidence from a Lottery Experiment on HIV Prevention," CEPR Discussion Papers 11542, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11542
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Sam Watson’s journal round-up for Monday 20th August 2018
      by Sam Watson in The Academic Health Economists' Blog on 2018-08-20 12:00:54

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    2. Allen, James & Mahumane, Arlete & Riddell, James & Rosenblat, Tanya & Yang, Dean & Yu, Hang, 2022. "Teaching and incentives: Substitutes or complements?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Ben S. Meiselman & Collin Weigel & Paul J. Ferraro & Mark Masters & Kent D. Messer & Olesya M. Savchenko & Jordan F. Suter, 2022. "Lottery Incentives and Resource Management: Evidence from the Agricultural Data Reporting Incentive Program (AgDRIP)," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(4), pages 847-867, August.
    4. Galárraga, Omar & Kuo, Caroline & Mtukushe, Bulelwa & Maughan-Brown, Brendan & Harrison, Abigail & Hoare, Jackie, 2020. "iSAY (incentives for South African youth): Stated preferences of young people living with HIV," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    5. Aaron Richterman & Harsha Thirumurthy, 2022. "The effects of cash transfer programmes on HIV-related outcomes in 42 countries from 1996 to 2019," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(10), pages 1362-1371, October.
    6. de Walque, Damien & Chukwuma, Adanna & Ayivi-Guedehoussou, Nono & Koshkakaryan, Marianna, 2022. "Invitations, incentives, and conditions: A randomized evaluation of demand-side interventions for health screenings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    7. Kelly Kilburn & Lucia Ferrone & Audrey Pettifor & Ryan Wagner & F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé & Kathy Kahn, 2020. "The Impact of a Conditional Cash Transfer on Multidimensional Deprivation of Young Women: Evidence from South Africa’s HTPN 068," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 865-895, October.
    8. Elice, Paola & Martínez Flores, Fernanda & Reichert, Arndt R., 2023. "Religious terrorism, forced migration, and women's empowerment: Evidence from the Boko Haram insurgency," Ruhr Economic Papers 1044, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    9. Banerjee,Abhijit & La Ferrara,Eliana & Orozco Olvera,Victor Hugo, 2019. "The Entertaining Way to Behavioral Change : Fighting HIV with MTV," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8998, The World Bank.
    10. Lépine, Aurélia & Treibich, Carole, 2020. "Risk aversion and HIV/AIDS: Evidence from Senegalese female sex workers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    11. Jason J. Ong & Nyasule Neke & Mwita Wambura & Evodius Kuringe & Jonathan M. Grund & Marya Plotkin & Marc d’Elbée & Sergio Torres-Rueda & Hally R. Mahler & Helen A. Weiss & Fern Terris-Prestholt, 2019. "Use of Lotteries for the Promotion of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Service: A Discrete-Choice Experiment among Adult Men in Tanzania," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 39(4), pages 474-485, May.
    12. Friedman, Willa & Wilson, Nicholas, 2022. "Can nudging overcome procrastinating on preventive health investments?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial incentives; Lotteries; Hiv prevention;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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