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  • 2021
  • Article
  • Behavioral Science & Policy

Nudging the Commute: Using Behaviorally-Informed Interventions to Promote Sustainable Transportation

By: Ashley Whillans, Joseph Sherlock, Jessica Roberts, Shibeal O'Flaherty, Lyndsay Gavin, Holly Dykstra and Michael Daly
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Abstract

Dramatic reductions in carbon emissions must take place immediately. A human-centric method of reducing environmental impacts is to “nudge” employees away from single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) toward more sustainable commuting options. While an abundance of research has focused on external determinants of mode choice, we know much less about the behavioral determinants. The field of behavioral science is overdue for a focus on transportation. This paper is meant to facilitate communication between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in part by developing a behaviorally-informed framework that can be leveraged by policymakers, government, and companies worldwide. We also describe the founding of our multidisciplinary team and outline lessons learned.

Keywords

Behavioral Science; Transportation Demand Management; Commuting; Single-occupancy Vehicle Commutes; Transportation; Behavior; Change; Environmental Sustainability

Citation

Whillans, Ashley, Joseph Sherlock, Jessica Roberts, Shibeal O'Flaherty, Lyndsay Gavin, Holly Dykstra, and Michael Daly. "Nudging the Commute: Using Behaviorally-Informed Interventions to Promote Sustainable Transportation." Behavioral Science & Policy 7, no. 2 (2021): 27–49.
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About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

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  • Policy Stringency and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from 15 Countries By: Lara B. Aknin, Bernardo Andretti, Rafael Goldszmidt, John F. Helliwell, Anna Petherick, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daisy Fancourt, Elkhonon Goldberg, Sarah P. Jones, Ozge Karadag, Elie Karam, Richard Layard, Shekhar Saxena, Emily Thornton, Ashley Whillans and Jamil Zaki
  • Innovation at Moog Inc. By: Brian J. Hall, Ashley V. Whillans, Davis Heniford, Dominika Randle and Caroline Witten
  • France Télécom (A), (B), and (C) By: Ashley Whillans
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