Abstract
This randomised evaluation studies whether low-cost information and financial incentives can increase voluntary adoption of privately beneficial, emissions-reducing motorcycle maintenance in a weak enforcement context. Air pollution disproportionately affects developing countries, where 91% of related deaths occur, with the urban poor—those most exposed to airborne particulate matter —facing the greatest health risks. Despite its urgency, little is known about how to effectively reduce pollution in weak enforcement contexts. In Viet Nam, motorcycles account for the vast majority of transport-related emissions, yet on-road emissions remain largely unregulated and uptake of emissions-reducing maintenance is low, despite potential private fuel cost savings.
The study will be implemented in Hanoi, where motorcycles contribute substantially to local air pollution. I investigate whether under-adoption of maintenance is driven by information asymmetries or low demand.
Participants are randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) information on expected private fuel expenditure savings from maintenance, (2) information about their motorcycle’s compliance with emissions standards, (3) compliance information plus information on the expected social benefits of emissions reductions, or (4) a control group receiving no information. Following the information intervention, we elicit willingness to accept maintenance and randomly assign participants to receive either a partial (10%) or full (100%) subsidy, allowing us to separate informational frictions from financial constraints.
Primary outcomes include demand for maintenance, maintenance take-up, fuel expenditure, and motorcycle emissions. We also track driving behaviour to assess potential rebound effects. By isolating the roles of information and subsidies, this study provides causal evidence on whether targeted, low-cost interventions can increase adoption of a privately beneficial, pollution-reducing technology in the absence of strict regulatory enforcement.