Taking the First Step: Using Behavioral Economics to Help Incarcerated Parents Apply for Child Support Order Modifications

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) released a report that outlines findings from a behavioral intervention that was designed to increase the number of incarcerated noncustodial parents in Texas who apply for child support order modifications. Researchers from the intervention redesigned the mailing materials to better entice the parents, and authors of the report indicated that the redesigned materials resulted in increased application outcomes. According to the authors, these results indicate the promise of incorporating behavioral economic principles to improve programs.