The Benefits of Forced Experimentation: Striking Evidence from the London Underground Network

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 2017
Volume: 132
Issue: 4
Pages: 2019-2055

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We present evidence that a significant fraction of commuters on the London Underground do not travel on their optimal route. We show that a strike on the Underground, which forced many commuters to experiment with new routes, brought lasting changes in behavior. This effect is stronger for commuters who live in areas where the Underground map is more distorted, which points to the importance of informational imperfections. Information resulting from the strike improved network efficiency. Search costs alone are unlikely to explain the suboptimal behavior.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:132:y:2017:i:4:p:2019-2055.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29