

$20M proof that the U.S. government doesn't understand incentives - curiousgeorgio

Many of you will already be aware of this, so it&#x27;ll come at no surprise. Recently, I received a packet in the mail from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The cover page explained that since I purchased a home in 2013, I was being asked to complete a survey about my experience regarding the mortgage application process.<p>Then I noticed a five dollar bill folded around the survey. Awesome!<p>Yes, $5 is small - so small it&#x27;s practically insignificant. But then I decided to check some numbers.<p>According to census.gov, over 5 million homes were sold in 2013. Even if we account for 20% of home sales not using a mortgage&#x2F;loan, that&#x27;s still roughly $20 million potentially spent for this &quot;small token of appreciation”.<p>But that&#x27;s not what infuriates me. After all, $20 million is practically a rounding error in light of the U.S. government&#x27;s total annual spending.<p>The thing that gets me is the fact that the cash is given <i>before</i> you do anything in response. Why would any rational human fill out the lengthy survey (which offers no further reward or even chance of reward) when the &quot;reward&quot; is given - either way - upfront?<p>What rational, competitive company would use this strategy (giving away money with absolutely no commitment or effort required) to somehow encourage customer response?<p>To be honest, I actually would have felt slightly more inclined to fill out the survey if no money had been included at all - merely out of a sense of respect for my country. Instead, the money is just a slap in the face and a proof of ineptitude by those sending it out.<p>It proves to me that the people running this show have no competency when it comes to incentivizing behavior.<p>And then there&#x27;s the irony of this coming from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.<p>(full text at http:&#x2F;&#x2F;pastebin.com&#x2F;r7ZkeGbz)
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lingben
the strategy is sound and it works because normal human beings feel indebted
and as a result feel a strong urge to reciprocate

this was used for many years very successfully by the Hare Krishnas who hung
out at airports and handed people a small flower as a gift and goodwill
gesture

invariably, people felt a strong urge to reciprocate and donated cash

[http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/79/The-Sales-
Psychol...](http://www.evancarmichael.com/Marketing/79/The-Sales-Psychology-
Influence-and-Persuasion.html)

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curiousgeorgio
I might be wrong, but I strongly suspect the behavior you describe (the
feeling of indebtedness and urge to reciprocate) is very much dependent on
factors like receiving the gift in person, as well as the context/entity who
is giving the gift.

In other words, yes, I'd feel somewhat indebted to give back to a religious or
non-profit organization, especially if given a gift in person. The U.S.
government sending me money in the mail and asking me to fill out a long
survey, not so much.

