Feedback is an effective tool for promoting efficient behavior: it enhances individuals'
awareness of choice consequences in complex settings.
Our study aims to isolate the mechanisms underlying the effects of feedback on
achieving efficient behavior in a controlled environment. We design a laboratory
experiment in which individuals are not aware of the consequences of different
alternatives and, thus, cannot easily identify the efficient ones. We introduce feedback
as a mechanism to enhance the awareness of consequences and to stimulate
exploration and search for efficient alternatives. We assess the efficacy of three
different types of intervention: provision of social information, manipulation of the
frequency, and framing of feedback. We find that feedback is most effective when it is
framed in terms of losses, that it reduces efficiency when it includes information about
inefficient peers' behavior, and that a lower frequency of feedback does not disrupt
efficiency. By quantifying the effect of different types of feedback, our study suggests
useful insights for policymakers.