Using behavioral science to improve compliance in government records management: Evidence from a large field experiment

Governments depend on organized records for institutional memory. Yet many civil servants fail to comply with records retention policies. We argue that non-compliance is often unintentional, owing to the difficulty and low priority of target behaviors. We present results from a large, pre-registered field experiment with civil servants in Canada ( N = 22,774). Combining a pre-commitment device with timely, salient information, we evaluate a behavioral intervention to improve compliance with records management policies. We measure the effect over time, finding strong evidence of improved compliance—specifically, a 5% reduction in data storage volume. Improved compliance generates significant cost savings that persist even months after the trial. We compare two motivational frames (injunctive social norms and personal incentives), finding no significant difference in effectiveness. Our study contributes to theories of behavioral public administration and digital government by shedding light on potential gaps between intention and action, and identifies a light-touch intervention to improve records keeping in government. • Government workers often struggle to comply with information management policies. • Non-compliance may be unintentional, arising from an "intention-action" gap. • In a field experiment, we tested a behavioral intervention to improve records compliance. • Our email intervention reduced data storage and generated persistent cost savings. • Behavioral science can improve information management in government.