http://hdl.handle.net/1893/232 Electronic copies of Economics journal articles. Sat, 03 Oct 2026 19:51:05 GMT 2026-10-03T19:51:05Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38330 Title: Using agent-based modelling for investigating the impact of travel behaviour interventions on mode shift: A travel behaviour simulation in Dublin Author(s): Lowe, Warnakulasooriya Umesh Ashen; Carroll, Páraic; Lades, Leonhard; Martinez-Pastor, Beatriz Abstract: The present study examines the impact of various strategic interventions on behavioural changes from private car use to sustainable travel modes in Dublin City, using an agent-based modelling (ABM) approach with a particular focus on soft policy (i.e., cycling promotion campaigns and travel feedback programs) and hard policy (i.e., motor tax and fuel price increments) measures. Utilising the Irish National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), we analysed changes in travel mode share, behavioural stage progression, and CO2 emissions under different policy scenarios. The findings suggest that soft interventions, such as cycling promotion campaigns and travel feedback programs, have consistent impacts on reducing car use, progressing behavioural stages (a shift from lower stages like precontemplation to higher stages like action), and lowering CO₂ emissions, with effects amplified when combined with motor tax and fuel price measures. The findings further highlight that using multiple outcome measures provides a more comprehensive evaluation of the impact, making it valuable for policymakers and decision-makers in assessing different transport policy interventions. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38330 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38273 Title: Prompting food safety responsibility: Does it influence consumers’ choices of food safety campaigns? Author(s): Radu, Madalina; Erdem, Seda; Campbell, Danny Abstract: Communicating food safety and risk information to consumers is essential to reducing the incidence of foodborne illness. However, despite widespread public health campaigns, behaviour change remains limited. This study investigates whether framing individual responsibility in campaign messages influences consumers’ stated preferences for food safety campaigns. Using a web-based discrete choice experiment with 2343 Scottish adults, participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group (no prompt), a treatment with a statement-based responsibility prompt or a treatment with a question-based prompt. Respondents completed a series of choice tasks evaluating hypothetical campaigns that varied by delivery channel, timing and message style, alongside an opt-out option (“no campaign”). Results show that question-framed prompts significantly increase the likelihood of choosing a campaign over the opt-out, relative to both the control and statement conditions. While the overall effects are modest in magnitude, they are consistent with prior evidence on the cognitive and motivational impact of question-based framing. These findings suggest that simple, low-cost message framing strategies, particularly those encouraging reflection and self-persuasion, can enhance the perceived effectiveness of public health campaigns and may support improved food safety communication design. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38273 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38269 Title: Estimating present bias and sophistication over effort and money Author(s): Cerrone, Claudia; Chakraborty, Anujit; Kim, Hyok Jung; Lades, Leonhard K. Abstract: We design and conduct a real-effort experiment to jointly estimate present bias and sophistication across effort and monetary domains. Unlike prior work (e.g.,Augenblick and Rabin, 2019; Fedyk, 2024), we do not assume that these parameters are identical across domains. We explain and empirically demonstrate how assuming identical sophistication across money and effort domains can bias the estimates of key parameters. In our online experiment, participants chose to (predicted to) complete 14% (10%) fewer tasks on the same day than on a future day, leading to an estimated present bias () over effort of 0.70–0.79, and an estimated sophistication () of 0.80–0.88. For money, aggregate present bias () is near zero, but there is substantial heterogeneity, with roughly equal numbers of participants exhibiting present bias and future bias. At the individual level, roughly three quarters of all participants correctly anticipate the direction of their bias in both domains, even if not its full magnitude. Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38269 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38239 Title: Evaluating soft travel behaviour interventions using behavioural stages of change within an agent-based modelling framework Author(s): Lowe, Warnakulasooriya Umesh Ashen; Lades, Leonhard; Carroll, Páraic Abstract: The effectiveness of interventions that aim to change travel behaviour is usually measured by the sudden shift from pre- to post-intervention. However, this binary perspective overlooks the gradual evolution of an individual’s travel behaviour over time. Our study challenges this paradigm and suggests the behavioural stages approach as a more precise tool for evaluating the efficacy of ‘soft’ travel behaviour interventions—those designed to influence perceptions, attitudes, and social norms or induce travel behaviour change through changes in the choice architecture. Many individual soft interventions could lead people to progress from a low stage like “pre-contemplation” to a higher stage like “preparation”—without resulting in behavioural change. Therefore, a more nuanced outcome measure is needed to assess individual soft interventions. An agent-based modelling framework is applied in this study to demonstrate the utility of the behaviour stage approach compared to traditional outcome measures. The findings show that the behavioural stages approach can detect the effects of interventions that more conventional measures like modal shift, travel frequency, travel distance, and attitudinal changes cannot detect. Moreover, the approach outlines the proportion of individuals who have progressed through stages, remained in the same stage, and regressed through stages post-intervention. The behavioural stage approach is thus a valuable tool for assessing the impact of soft interventions, and policymakers and decision-makers could devote more attention to this approach when evaluating travel behaviour interventions. Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38239 2026-05-26T00:00:00Z