Application Window Timing Decay
Policy designers must decide whether extending application deadlines gives individuals more time to complete tasks. If barriers are caused by time-varying psychological initiation costs, longer decision windows allow control group candidates more opportunities to hit low-friction days, naturally eroding intervention effects over time.
Picture this
Imagine giving someone 30 days instead of 3 days to complete a tax form. Over 30 days, the chance that they happen to have a high-energy, low-stress day and complete the form on their own increases significantly, reducing the extra value provided by an automated setup service.
What the evidence says
Each additional day between notification and application deadline reduced the phone-call treatment effect on job application probability by 0.072 percentage points (p < 0.001).
- Who
- N = 1,005,463 jobseeker-vacancy matches across 9,011 jobseekers in Lahore, Pakistan.
- How
- Interaction analysis between phone-call treatment and the number of days between initial text alert and application deadline, controlling for quarter fixed effects.
What to do
Shorten application windows when pairing notifications with proactive initiation support to maximize intervention efficacy before control group catch-up occurs.
From the source
"The treatment effect on applying is 0.072 percentage points lower (standard error 0.004) with each extra day between the notification and the deadline."
Why_Don’t_Jobseekers_Search_More_Barriers_and_Returns_to_Search.pdf
Tagged
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