Incentive Programs Research Articles

How does eligibility for GusNIP produce prescriptions relate to fruit and vegetable purchases and what factors shape the relationship? A protocol for a secondary analysis of nationally representative data in the USA

IntroductionUS Department of Agriculture (USDA) Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Programme (GusNIP) produce prescription programme (PPR) ‘prescriptions’ provide eligible participants with low income, risk for diet-related chronic disease and food insecurity...

Now or Later? Examining Social and Financial Decision-Making in Middle-to-Older Aged Adults.

Contextually driven decision-making is multidimensional, as individuals need to contend with prioritizing both competing and complementary demands. However, data is limited as to whether temporal discounting rates vary as a function of framing (gains vs. loss) and domain (monetary vs. social) in middle-to-older aged adults. It is also unclear whether socioaffective characteristics like social isolation and loneliness are associated with temporal discounting. Temporal discounting rates were examined across monetary gain, monetary loss, social gain, and social loss conditions in 140 adults aged 50-90 during the Omicron stage of the pandemic. Self-report measures assessed loneliness and social isolation levels. Results found evidence of steeper temporal discounting rates for gains as compared to losses in both domains. Social outcomes were also more steeply discounted than monetary outcomes, without evidence of an interaction with the framing condition. Socioeconomic and socioaffective factors were unexpectedly not associated with temporal discounting rates. Community-dwelling middle-to-older aged adults showed a preference for immediate rewards and devalued social outcomes more than monetary outcomes. These findings have implications for tailoring social and financial incentive programs for middle to later adulthood.

Participant perspectives on incentives for TB preventative therapy adherence and reduced alcohol use: A qualitative study.

Economic incentives to promote health behavior change are highly efficacious for substance use disorders as well as increased medication adherence. Knowledge about participants' experiences with and perceptions of incentives is needed to understand their mechanisms of action and optimize future incentive-based interventions. The Drinkers' Intervention to Prevent Tuberculosis (DIPT) trial enrolled people with HIV (PWH) in Uganda with latent tuberculosis and unhealthy alcohol use in a 2x2 factorial trial that incentivized recent alcohol abstinence and isoniazid (INH) adherence on monthly urine testing while on INH preventive therapy. We interviewed 32 DIPT study participants across trial arms to explore their perspectives on this intervention. Participants described 1) satisfaction with incentives of sufficient size that allowed them to purchase items that improved their quality of life, 2) multiple ways in which incentives were motivating, from gamification of "winning" through support of pre-existing desire to improve health to suggesting variable effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and 3) finding value in learning results of increased clinical monitoring. To build effective incentive programs to support both reduced substance use and increased antimicrobial adherence, we recommend carefully selecting incentive magnitude as well as harnessing both intrinsic motivation to improve health and extrinsic reward of target behavior. In addition to these participant-described strengths, incorporating results of clinical monitoring related to the incentive program that provide participants more information about their health may also contribute to health-related empowerment.

Profit before principle? An experimental assessment of incentive schemes encouraging consumers’ role in product end-of-life returns

In the circular economy, an effective reverse supply chain is crucial, necessitating consumers to return end-of-life products rather than discard them. However, voluntary returns lack consistent motivation. While incentive programs might enhance return behaviors, the driving factors – whether based on sustainability principles or profit motives – remain unclear. Using self-determination theory, our study examines these dynamics in the cosmetics industry to uncover incentive efficiency and underlying mechanisms. We conducted an online experiment with 509 participants to empirically test four incentive schemes: 1) none, 2) financial, 3) sustainable, and 4) financial and sustainable incentives combined. Mean value comparisons indicate that the willingness to return increases for all participants after being informed about return opportunities, with financial and combined incentives differing significantly from the other groups, displaying the strongest intention to return. Experimental group-specific structural equation modeling analyses indicate that in all experimental groups, perceived intrinsic and extrinsic values positively affect the attitude towards returning packaging, which in turn is positively related to willingness to return. On the other hand, green consumer value only has a positive effect on willingness to return in the context of sustainable incentives. This study represents the first systematic approach to EOL incentive schemes, building on a new theoretical perspective and providing actionable strategies for retailers to advance the role of consumers in the circular economy.

Мотивация сотрудников к профессиональному обучению

The article discusses the main ways to motivate employees for professional training and their comparison. motivating staff to learn remains relevant in light of the rapidly changing business environment and the need of companies to maintain the qualifications of their employees at an up-to-date level. Organizations that pay attention to this topic and develop effective training incentive programs can gain a competitive advantage and long-term success.

Spatial-temporal identification of commuters using trip chain data from non-motorized mode incentive program and public transportation

Distinguishing commuters from non-commuters is important for transportation planning and traffic demand management. A framework to identify commuters using public transit is proposed based on a spatial-temporal clustering algorithm. The framework extracts commute trips by mining spatial-temporal travel patterns depending on whether the travelers' trip chains are complete. The commuting features in terms of travel frequency, time regularity, and spatial regularity are utilized to compare the difference in travel behavior between commuters and non-commuters. The framework is applied to trip data collected from an incentive program implemented by the Metropolitan Transport Commission of Korea. The data records spatial and temporal information on travelers' boarding and alighting points, as well as actual origins and destinations. One trip record constitutes a complete trip chain for travelers who joined the incentive program. The results show that commuters exhibit a higher travel frequency and more regular spatial-temporal travel patterns than non-commuters. It is found that not all commuters travel during morning and evening peaks; some commuters leave work after evening peak. The proposed identification framework based on the spatial-temporal clustering approach is capable of exploiting the inherent spatial-temporal travel patterns of travelers to achieve a reliable identification of commuters.

Are crop insurance discount programs for cover crops effective? Evidence from Iowa

AbstractCover crops are promoted by agronomists and governments due to their on‐farm and off‐farm benefits. Incentive programs were created because high planting costs have hindered cover crop adoption in the United States. Crop insurance discount programs are novel incentives that subsidize farmers’ crop insurance premiums by $5 per acre ($12.36 ha−1) on cover cropped land. While this payment is smaller than those typically offered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and state‐level cost‐share programs, crop insurance discount programs have the potential to reach a significant proportion of farmers who purchase crop insurance. This paper uses data from a survey of Iowa farmers to quantify whether participation in the Iowa Crop Insurance Discount Program (ICIDP) affects the area planted to cover crops. I find that 11% of the ICIDP area would not have been planted to cover crops in the absence of the program, which is similar to other programs after considering the lower payment rate.

A Study of Employee Satisfaction with a Focus on Employee Incentives

This research endeavors to examine the relationship between employee satisfaction and the effectiveness of employee incentives within organizational settings. Employee satisfaction is a critical factor influencing productivity, retention, and overall organizational success. This study specifically investigates how various incentive programs contribute to employee contentment and engagement. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, this study combines qualitative data gathered through employee interviews and focus group discussions with quantitative surveys to explore and analyze the impact of employee incentives on overall satisfaction. The qualitative approach seeks to uncover nuanced insights into employees' perceptions and experiences, while quantitative analysis aims to identify trends, correlations, and statistical significance. The research will delve into various aspects of employee incentives, including financial rewards, non-monetary recognition, career development opportunities, and workplace culture. It aims to discern the preferences and motivational factors that influence employee satisfaction and engagement. The findings from this research are expected to provide valuable insights for organizational leaders, human resource professionals, and business decision-makers. Understanding the dynamics of employee satisfaction in relation to incentive programs can guide the development of effective strategies to attract, motivate, and retain talent. This study contributes to the broader understanding of employee motivation and satisfaction, serving as a foundation for further research and informed decision-making in the realm of human resource management.

Effectiveness of a periodontal re-evaluation incentive program for patient compliance.

Effectiveness of a periodontal re-evaluation incentive program for patient compliance.

A Literature Review of the Macroeconomic Implications of Entrepreneurship: A Research Perspective of the Future

This study reviews the literature on entrepreneurship from several angles, including the entrepreneur's point of view, finding opportunities, creating a business plan, securing finance, and entrepreneurship's effect on economic well-being. The authors stress the importance of entrepreneurs in developing novel products and services, expanding economies, and developing new methods of doing things. Employment, economic growth, and tax revenues are all highlighted as key benefits of entrepreneurship. In addition, the article delves into what factors, such as taxes, the price of real estate, the nature of government oversight, the need for funding, and the difficulty of enforcing contracts, make up an entrepreneurial ecosystem. It indicates that a good regulatory environment and tax cuts encourage entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the report offers predictions for the future of entrepreneurship, including an increase in low-tech, socially-minded businesses that concentrate on solving local problems. It suggests further studies be conducted on the relationships between various forms of entrepreneurship and their respective development prospects. The report also emphasizes the need of future research using a wide range of dependent welfare factors, as well as foreign comparative studies on entrepreneurship utilizing various common metrics. It also stresses the need for more study into the link between entrepreneurship and social and environmental progress in underdeveloped nations. In its last section, the research stresses the significance of learning about the factors that influence entrepreneurs and how those factors affect incentive and support programs for entrepreneurs.

Financial incentive programs and farm diversification with cover crops: assessing opportunities and challenges

Farmers in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. face tremendous pressure to reduce nutrient losses from agriculture. Increasing crop rotation diversity with overwintering cover crops can support ecological processes that maintain productivity while improving multiple ecosystem functions, including nutrient retention. We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand how financial incentive programs impact transitions to cover cropping in Michigan. Michigan farms span a wide range of soil types, climate conditions, and cropping systems that create opportunities for cover crop adoption in the state. We tested the relationship between Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) payments for cover crops and cover crop adoption between 2008–2019, as measured by remote sensing. We coupled this quantitative analysis with interviews with 21 farmers in the Lake Erie watershed to understand farmers’ perspectives on how incentive programs could support greater cover crop adoption. Panel fixed effects regressions showed that EQIP increased winter cover crop presence. Every EQIP dollar for cover crops was associated with a 0.01 hectare increase in winter cover, while each hectare enrolled in an EQIP contract for cover crops was associated with a 0.86–0.93 hectare increase in winter cover. In semi-structured interviews, farmers reported that financial incentives were instrumental to cover crop adoption, but that program outcomes fall short of intended goals due to policy design problems that may limit widespread participation and effectiveness. Thus, strengthening EQIP and related conservation programs could support broader transitions to diversified farming systems that are more sustainable and resilient.

A circular economy with tax policy: Using collection channels and returns to mitigate distortions in steel production and recycling

The purpose of this research is to show how taxation of intermediate items produced from virgin and recycled materials negatively impacts closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) results (labor, capital, returns, outputs, prices, profits, and dead-weight-loss). It offers remedies to alleviate tax inefficiencies. After formulating upstream and downstream production functions and recycling process, a Stackelberg game framework is analytically solved and data from steel industry and automobile stimulus program in the US are used to obtain numerical results. The results show that an optimum collection channel along with endogenous consumer return behavior can improve outcomes and reduce inefficiencies stemming from output taxation. The principal policy implication is that American, Chinese, Canadian, and German governments’ tax incentive programs applied to items produced from recyclables are a sound strategy in the way of spurring their circular economies, improving environmental sustainability, and reducing economic loss.

Sustainability, profitability, and resiliency of the fast fashion industries during a pandemic

The size of the global textile market was estimated at nearly one trillion USD in 2021 and the circularity of fashion items are of utmost practical and economic interests. Many postconsumer textile wastes are not recycled, and are sent to landfills for permanent disposal. This study examines the profitability of the selected fashion companies and compares the financial performance through weighted average net profit margin and business characteristics. The 10 companies are divided into 2 groups (conventional and sustainability) for analysis. The conventional fashion companies have a total sales revenue approximately 23 times higher than that of the sustainability fashion companies. The weighted average net profit ratio of the conventional fashion industry averaging +4.7 during the 5-year study period, much higher than the sustainability fashion group. Sustainability fashion industry is emerging and appears more sensitive to fluctuations in business expenses and COVID lockdowns. Net profit was negative for the sustainability group in 2022, and more aids such as government initiatives and incentive programs may be critical to the growth of the sustainability fashion sector. Both sustainability and conventional groups have positive relations between net profit and number of employees and net profit and market shares, respectively. The results suggest that fashion industry has opportunities to be more profitable by adopting socially responsible goals.

Comparison of externalities of biogas and photovoltaic solar energy for energy planning

The Brazilian electricity matrix is around 80% renewable, and it has registered continuous growth in the expansion of biogas and photovoltaic (PV) systems. The main current Brazilian incentive program for the distributed generation of renewable energy, through a single net metering tariff, that is, a generation compensation system in credits to the consumer who owns the generating unit, does not seem to be effective to promote the expected growth of the biogas. Thus, the objective of this paper was to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively a set of significant externalities for both sources to contribute to a more realistic energy planning. The externalities quantitatively evaluated for these two renewable sources were: avoided emissions, employment and income, biofertilizers for biogas and use as a constructive element for PV systems. A significant result was that the economic value of the externalities of biogas can exceed those of PV systems for the rural producer by more than 11 times, for society by 1.7 times. It is concluded that, due to the value of biogas externalities being much higher economically than those of PV systems, Brazilian public policies for energy planning should prioritize biogas over solar photovoltaic energy systems.

The Role of Monetary Incentives for Enhancing Employee Performance with Special Reference to Selected Financial Institutions in the Bhilai Region

Employee motivation in a competitive workplace is greatly aided by monetary incentives, sometimes known as financial rewards for performance. The economic research claims that cash rewards are a very popular way for organizations and businesses to improve employee performance. Utilizing a normative survey method, the current investigation was conducted. The technique of stratified random sampling was employed. A sample of 123 employees from the Bhilai region was chosen by taking into account different strata of gender, location, and institution type. According to the study's findings, financial incentives have a good impact on employee performance, but employees in the financial institution industry place a higher importance on non-financial rewards. The study's findings about employees' preferences for monetary incentives will help employers and HR managers in the financial institution sector design incentive programs that will motivate workers and improve performance. The study's findings will also be helpful to future researchers who want to understand how different incentives affect employees' performance.

The Impact of Monetary Incentives on Delay Discounting Within a Year-Long Physical Activity Intervention.

Delay discounting is the depreciation in a reward's perceived value as a function of the time until receipt. Monetary incentive programs that provide rewards contingent on meeting daily physical activity (PA) goals may change participants' delay discounting preferences. Determine if monetary incentives provided in close temporal proximity to meeting PA goals changed delay discounting, and if such changes mediated intervention effects. Inactive adults (n = 512) wore accelerometers during a 12-month intervention where they received proximal monetary incentives for meeting daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) goals or delayed incentives for study participation. Delay discount rate and average MVPA were assessed at baseline, end of intervention, and a 24-month follow-up. Using structural equation modeling, we tested effects of proximal versus delayed rewards on delay discounting and whether any changes mediated intervention effects on MVPA. PA self-efficacy was also evaluated as a potential mediator, and both self-efficacy and delay discounting were assessed as potential moderators of intervention effects. Proximal rewards significantly increased participants' delay discounting (β = 0.238, confidence interval [CI]: -0.078, 0.380), indicating greater sensitivity to reinforcement timing. This change did not mediate incentive-associated increases in MVPA at the end of the 12-month intervention (β = -0.016, CI: -0.053, 0.019) or at a 24-month follow-up (β = -0.020, CI: -0.059, 0.018). Moderation effects were not found. Incentive-induced increases in delay discounting did not deleteriously impact MVPA. This finding may help assuage concerns about using monetary incentives for PA promotion, but further research regarding the consequences of changes in delay discounting is warranted.

Inequity Aversion, Incentives and Promotions

This paper delves into the critical examination of equality and fairness within incentive programs and promotions. The study places a spotlight on the concept of inequity aversion, underscoring its pivotal role in evaluating the effectiveness of such initiatives. The core focus is on individuals' responses to perceived unfairness in reward distribution. The research explores diverse strategies for constructing incentive programs that judiciously account for people's aversion to inequity. Additionally, the study scrutinizes the potential influence of promotions on employees' attitudes towards equity and fairness within organizational frameworks. It underscores the imperative of aligning promotion rules with overarching equity objectives. In essence, the paper underscores the paramount importance of integrating equity and fairness considerations into the development of incentive programs and promotions, offering actionable recommendations for businesses aspiring to cultivate reward systems that are both equitable and efficacious.

Strengthening nutrition incentive and produce prescription projects: An examination of a capacity building and innovation fund

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is a federal program designed to address financial barriers to fruit and vegetable (FV) purchases among consumers with a low income by using financial incentives. To fur­ther strengthen both nutrition incentive (NI) and produce prescription (PPR) GusNIP projects, the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Training, Technical Assistance, Evalu­ation, and Information Center (NTAE) and its Nutrition Incentive Hub offer Capacity Building and Innovation Fund (CBIF) awards to GusNIP grantees and their partner organizations. The present study applies multiple methods to systematically understand the types of resources requested by CBIF applicants to expand the capacity and impact of their NI and PPR pro­jects by rigorously analyzing the CBIF proposals submitted from 2020 to 2022. Applicants (N = 130) requested funds to build capacity and innova­tion around one or more domains: leadership and staffing (n = 72); communications (n = 67); diver­sity, equity, and inclusion (DEI; n = 57); and tech­nology (n = 42). Three significant qualitative themes emerged around future needs: (1) staffing and technology to streamline applicants’ projects; (2) training, resources, and funding to enhance DEI in their projects; and (3) improved NTAE support, including improvements to the CBIF funding mechanism. Findings from this study can increase awareness about the capacity building and innovation needs of NI and PPR projects for the NTAE, policymakers, and funders to consider when supporting healthy food financial incentive projects.

The Role of Pharmacogenomics in Rare Diseases.

Rare diseases have become an increasingly important public health priority due to their collective prevalence and often life-threatening nature. Incentive programs, such as the Orphan Drug Act have been introduced to increase the development of rare disease therapeutics. While the approval of these therapeutics requires supportive data from stringent pre-market studies, these data lack the ability to describe the causes of treatment response heterogeneity, leading to medications often being more harmful or less effective than predicted. If a Goal Line were to be used to describe the multifactorial continuum of phenotypic variations occurring in response to a medication, the 'Goal Posts', or the two defining points of this continuum, would be (1) Super-Response, or an extraordinary therapeutic effect; and (2) Serious Harm. Investigation of the pharmacogenomics behind these two extreme phenotypes can potentially lead to the development of new therapeutics, help inform rational use criteria in drug policy, and improve the understanding of underlying disease pathophysiology. In the context of rare diseases where cohort sizes are smaller than ideal, 'small data' and 'big data' approaches to data collection and analysis should be combined to produce the most robust results. This paper presents the importance of studying drug response in parallel to other research initiatives in rare diseases, as well as the need for international collaboration in the area of rare disease pharmacogenomics.

A collective incentive strategy to manage ridership rebound and consumer surplus in mass transit systems

This paper models and analyzes a collective incentive strategy with passenger departure time equilibrium to maximize the total passenger surplus, which could further enhance the sustainability of transit systems in the post-pandemic era. In the proposed collective incentive strategy, passengers with transit passes have dynamic discounts where the discount value depends on the total number of passengers enrolled in the incentive program. A bi-level optimization model is established by considering passengers' demand elasticity and responses to the strategy, which eventually determines the starting time and duration of the collective incentive strategy during the time of the day. We further analyze the properties of the proposed collective incentive model to identify the analytical solutions and performance. Analytical results indicate that there exists a threshold demand elasticity below which the total surplus of commuters with and without transit passes can be improved simultaneously. Properties also show that there could exist multiple local optimal solutions of incentive strategy duration for a given starting time. A case study is conducted with the metro system in Toronto: the results show that the proposed collective incentive strategy could improve both the fare revenues and ridership by 33.31 % and 83.56 %, respectively.