NBER Working Papers by Andrey Fradkin

According to previous research, changing the default contribution rate for a 401(k) pension plan has a powerful effect on the distribution of contributions among relatively new employees. Potential explanations include the following: (1) opting out may entail significant effort and inconvenience; (2) the default rate may serve as a psychological anchor, influencing choices because of its salience or imprimatur; (3) workers may procrastinate, putting off the opt-out decision; (4) workers may be inattentive. We examine the welfare implications of defaults under each of these theories. Because three of them involve non-standard behavioral hypotheses, we adopt and implement the framework for behavioral welfare economics proposed by Bernheim and Rangel (2009). In each case we begin by developin...