Reproducibility package for When Digital Nudges Nag: Evidence On Program Take-Up From A Whatsapp Intervention
Overview
We study a randomized controlled trial in which undocumented Venezuelan migrants in Colombia were assigned to receive informational videos via WhatsApp encouraging registration in a regularization program. The intervention backfired. Receiving a video reduced take-up by 8 percentage points, a 15 percent decline relative to a control mean of 54 percent, with similar effects across video types. We document two channels through which this effect operates. Among the 72 percent of treated individuals
who watched the video, informational exposure reduced take-up by 9.5 percentage points, consistent with an increase in perceived complexity. Among individuals who received but did not engage with the message, assignment also reduced take-up, consistent with friction from unsolicited contact. Stratifying individuals by their predicted likelihood of registration, we find that negative effects are concentrated among those at the margin of the take-up decision, while those with low or high baseline propensities are largely unaffected. These findings suggest that the line between a helpful nudge and a counterproductive nag is thin and that providing more digital information can reduce program participation when it raises perceived costs or triggers disengagement among vulnerable populations.
Reproducibility Package
| Repository name | URI |
|---|---|
| Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) | https://reproducibility.worldbank.org |
Reproducibility
Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:
• OS: Windows 11 Enterprise
• Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 5218 CPU @ 2.30GHz (2.30 GHz) (2 processors)
• Memory available: 16 GB
• Software version: Stata 19.5
Run time ~ 5 minutes
To reproduce the exhibit in this paper, a new user should do the following;
Open the script main do file, change the directory on line 17, and run it. This will install the required packages, generate datasets "DataETPV" and "DataComparison" and generate all the exhibits.
Since some data is restricted, the outputs generated by the replicators are included in the reproducibility package, so that interested users can compare them against the manuscript.
Data
Some data is restricted and has not been included in the reproducibility package. For more details, refer to the README file.
Description
| Author | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Sandra Rozo | World Bank | sandrarozo@worldbank.org |
| María José Urbina | World Bank | murbinaflorez@worldbank.org |
| Andres Moya | Universidad de Los Andes | a.moya@uniandes.edu.co |
2026-05-26
Scope and coverage
| Location | Code |
|---|---|
| Colombia | COL |
Disclaimer
The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.
Access and rights
| Name | URI |
|---|---|
| MIT License | https://opensource.org/license/mit |
| World Bank IGO Rider | https://github.com/worldbank/metadata-editor/blob/main/WB-IGO-RIDER.md |
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Sandra Rozo | World Bank | sandrarozo@worldbank.org |
| Reproducibility WBG | World Bank | reproducibility@worldbank.org |
Information on metadata
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproducibility WBG | DECDI | World Bank - Development Impact Department | Verification and preparation of metadata |
2026-05-26
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