Can different policy interventions work complementarily?—A survey experiment on policy compliance

Abstract Policy compliance is crucial for the successful implementation of government policies. Historically, governments have relied on policy instruments such as monetary incentives and mandatory orders to achieve this goal. Nowadays, behavioral interventions have gained prominence in the public policy arena, alongside the important role of social norms in behavior change. Despite this shift, there remains uncertainty surrounding the comparative effects of different policy instruments and the combined effects of policy tools. Using a conjoint experiment in China, this study sheds light on the importance of two forms of behavioral interventions (nudges and boosts), social norms (descriptive and injunctive), and monetary incentives (economic incentives and sanctions) in fostering policy compliance with waste sorting. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that combining behavioral interventions with economic incentives can significantly enhance the probability of policy compliance compared to relying on a singular policy tool. In addition, our study reveals that inequalities based on socioeconomic status contribute to differential preferences for policy instruments. Specifically, citizens with higher‐income and education levels are more sensitive to boosts and are less sensitive to descriptive social norms and economic sanctions. These findings underscore the importance of adopting a suitable tool mix and selecting policy instruments based on population characteristics, particularly when implementing policies requiring citizens' actions in developing countries.