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Postdoctoral Research Position for project: Behavioral nudges in a wildfire risk context: Social comparison and community type Employer University of Colorado Boulder Funding National Science Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station Location Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder or Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO Salary 100% time (40hrs/week), plus benefits; Y1 $57,600; Y2 $59,300 Timing Start date: January 1, 2019 End date: December 31, 2020 Review of applications will begin September 1, 2018 Position Summary This newly funded postdoc will span two years and provide an opportunity to join a team of researchers and wildfire practitioners whose long-running, close collaboration has yielded a unique pilot data set. The project funds the expansion of the dataset and a postdoc position that focuses on analyzing behavioral responses to different risk-related nudge messages, parcel-level risk data, and community characteristics among households in fire-prone communities. While the work of this position is primarily data analysis and the development of peer-review manuscripts, the postdoc will participate in team activities that include innovating on the existing pilot study with the collaborative team. For more information on our collaborative team: www.wildfireresearchcenter.org The postdoc will work closely with Dr. Patty Champ (USFS) and Dr. James Meldrum (USGS) and Dr. Hannah Brenkert-Smith (CU Boulder) on analysis of the behavioral economics experimental data. Funding runs through CU Boulder, however, flexibility in location allows postdoc to sit either at the Institute of Behavioral Science at CU Boulder, CO or at the Rocky Mountain Research Station (USDA Forest Service) in Fort Collins, CO. Scope of work: Review of relevant behavioral economics and hazards/risk literatures Data analysis Take lead on and contribute to peer review journal articles Contribute to publications that lend support to wildfire practitioners and their education/outreach efforts Excellent opportunity for postdoc who wants to explore possibility of pursuing research with a government agency, while keeping the pathway to academia open. Our team is invested in the success of the project, the team, and all its members. Postdoctoral mentoring plan is available and will be tailored at outset of project to help foster desired career trajectory. Teleworking is negotiable. Required Job Qualifications Must have doctoral degree in economics, sociology, or related field with strong quantitative skills. Looking for a curious and driven team player with superior data analysis and analytical thinking. Interest in research that serves a public good and willingness to partner with practitioner experts.
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Preferred Job Qualifications Training and experience in behavioral economics, decision-making, the role of role of social context; natural hazards; social dimensions of wildfire. Proficiency with STATA or similar quantitative analysis software; demonstrated experience with academic presentations and publication process. Diversity Statement Candidates are expected to have the ability to uphold and advance the research team and our institutions’ commitment to diversity and inclusion. Special Instructions to Applicants To apply, please submit a CV, a cover letter describing research interests, statistical experience and career goals, and copies of relevant publications (not more than 3). References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. Search Contact To apply, please send requested materials to Hannah Brenkert-Smith,
[email protected] Description of Work Units University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science The Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) is a research institute within the Graduate School of the University of Colorado Boulder. Since its establishment in 1957, it has provided a setting for interdisciplinary collaborative research on problems of societal concern. By engaging faculty from all the social and behavioral sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, IBS encourages work that transcends disciplinary boundaries, that illuminates the complexity of social behavior and social life, and that has important implications for social policy. IBS is organized into five research programs, each defined by an interdisciplinary area of research and directed by a senior research scientist. Three programs have centers which specialize in research topics consistent with the broader goals of the Program, including the Natural Hazards Center. U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station – Human Dimensions Program Provide scientifically rigorous research methods, knowledge, and results to improve the understanding and integration of social and economic values and effects with ecosystem processes in natural resource planning and decision-making for both public and private land management. U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center – Social and Economic Analysis Branch The Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch provides unique capabilities in the U.S. Geological Survey by leading projects that integrate social, behavioral, economic, and natural science in the context of human–natural resource interactions. Our research provides scientific understanding and support for the management and conservation of our natural resources in support of multiple agency missions. We focus on meeting the scientific needs of the Department of the Interior natural resource management bureaus in addition to fostering partnerships with other Federal and State managers to protect, restore, and enhance our environment. SEA is an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities. Overview of Project: Behavioral nudges in a wildfire risk context: Social comparison and community type Non-technical description Wildfires cost billions of dollars to suppress annually, yet they still devastate lives, communities, and ecosystems. As part of a broader strategy to address that problem, the government and other entities 2
invest significantly in supporting wildfire risk mitigation on private property and related education to the general public. This project investigates a relatively low-cost approach to increase citizens' engagement with these efforts, potentially increasing their effectiveness. It brings together the cutting edge of different academic fields, including economics, sociology, and natural hazards research. Specifically, many communities have collected parcel-level wildfire risk assessments, yet the residents often do not know the results of these assessments, even when publicly available. This nudge experiment tests how the presentation of such data might influence the adoption of risk reduction activities. The experiment tests how residents respond to the inclusion of personalized and social comparison information in outreach material, allowing the evaluation and refinement of risk message strategies. A pilot study suggests that residents do respond differently; the full experiment allows deeper investigation. Further, the study provides opportunities to learn about how the residents of different types of communities might respond differently to the risk information. Finally, the behavioral outcomes measured in the experiment reflect the kinds of behaviors sought by risk reduction education and outreach efforts across the nation. If found effective, the studied approach could be implemented in other areas where parcel level risk assessments exist, related to a range of hazards. Technical abstract This project seeks to increase understanding of how decisions are influenced by the content of risk messages, social comparisons regarding conditions that contribute to risk, and community context. The study bridges efforts to understand biases that influence individual, risk-related decision making with inquiry that attends to contributing social influences. More specifically, the work seeks insights into the extent to which the provision of different types of risk information (community-level, parcel-level, comparative) results in different behavioral outcomes by systematically testing the use of low cost messaging. The experimental design applies different information treatments to direct mailings that encourages residents to access multiple sources of information provided by practitioners, including local community meetings. This design allows exploration of how existing biases may be leveraged to encourage behaviors that are individually, socially, and environmentally beneficial. By design, this study sits at the intersection of active literatures in sociology, behavioral economics, and natural hazards research, and builds on the demonstrated importance of social context and nuanced messaging in generating behavioral outcomes. Through the sociological lens, residents' decisions and related behaviors are the product of social processes that include social comparisons. How this influence may be mediated by broader community context is a fundamental interest. By exploring the influence of community context and information about that context (in the form of community risk level and neighbors' parcel conditions) on relevant decisions, the project builds on recent findings regarding social dimensions of risk mitigation by individuals. Through the behavioral economics lens, the project builds on recent research suggesting that the efficacy of social comparison nudges may vary by community context, both in general and in the perceived relationships between nudge recipients and reference groups. From the natural hazards research lens, social comparison nudges hold promise for encouraging information seeking and risk mitigation that has yet to be tested. The project expands the domain of behaviors considered by nudge experiments to contribute to deeper understanding of riskrelated decisions and mitigation. From risk information seeking to mitigation activities, the behavioral outcomes that result from the nudges will be measured across different community types in order to assess the role social context plays in such outcomes. Thus, the work introduces experiments using social comparison nudges to a new context and merges related literatures. Importantly, the project builds on a unique researcher-practitioner collaboration to conduct the study in communities in the wildland-urban interface, where residents face high risk of wildfire-related losses. Results have the potential to transform thinking about risk messaging and deepen understanding of the role of community context, with implications for risk management not only individual-level but also for hazard landscapes more generally.
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