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自设目标的提醒对生产率的影响

The Effect of Reminders for Self-Set Goals on Productivity
Journal of Development Economics · 2026 · Martin Abel、Tomoko Harigaya、Michael Kremer、Shanjiang Zhu

中文摘要

我们通过分析卢旺达10,187名志愿农业推广人员的数据,考察自设目标的提醒如何影响生产率。我们请工作人员报告其目标,并通过短信提醒,以实验方式改变这些目标的凸显程度。由于未预料到的后勤安排延误,处理组中约一半人员在完成任务后才收到提醒。我们发现,在正常工作期间收到的目标提醒使生产率指数提高了0.08个标准差,而延迟发送的提醒没有效果。进一步按目标雄心程度划分四分位组进行异质性分析,发现了倒U形关系:提醒对处于第二和第三四分位组的目标有效,但对较低或过高的目标无效。这些结果提示,设定既有雄心又切合实际目标的工作人员更有可能对提醒作出反应并提高生产率,这与以往关于外部设定目标的证据一致。

Abstract

We examine how reminders for self-set goals influence productivity by analyzing data from 10,187 volunteer agricultural extension workers in Rwanda. We elicited workers’ goals and experimentally varied their salience through text reminders. Due to unforeseen logistical delays, approximately half of the treatment group received reminders after completing their tasks. We find that goal reminders received during the regular working period increased a productivity index by 0.08 standard deviations, while reminders sent late had no effect. Further analysis of heterogeneity by goal ambition quartiles reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship: reminders are effective for goals in the second and third quartiles, but ineffective for low or excessively high goals. These results suggest that workers who set ambitious yet realistic goals are more likely to respond to reminders and increase productivity, consistent with prior evidence on externally set goals.
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