Using practical demonstrations to reduce the learning curve [Experiment #1]

Innovation methods

Data sources

Scaling

Cost

SDG(s)

Sustainable Development Goal(s)

11Sustainable cities and communities

13Climate action

17Partnerships for the goals

Disclaimer:

Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.

Overview

Prepared by (Name of the experimenter)

Javier Brolo and María Inés Castañeda

On date (Day/Month/Year)

December 30th, 2021

Current status of experimental activity

Completed

What portfolio does this activity correspond to? If any

Implementing environmental public policy

What is the frontier challenge does this activity responds to?

How to improve the collaboration between society and public institutions to increase resilience to climate change

What is the learning question(from your action learning plan) is this activity related to?

How to implement environmental public policies?

Please categorize the type that best identifies this experimental activity:

Fully Randomised (RCTs, etc.)

Which sector are you partnering with for this activity? Please select all that apply

Public Sector, Civil Society/ NGOs

Please list the names of partners mentioned in the previous question:

Municipality of Guatemala; Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Residents of Zone 5 in Guatemala City

Design

What is the specific learning intent of the activity?

Find out if there is evidence supporting the idea that providing practical demonstrations improves understanding and reduces errors when classifying waste. This is relevant because it's believed that one of the reasons people do not collaborate in the implementation of environmental policies is because to do so they must first overcome a learning curve regarding what is expected from them.

What is your hypothesis? IF... THEN....

IF people are shown how to separate waste through practical demonstrations, THEN they will make less mistakes when separating waste themselves.

Does the activity use a control group for comparison?

Yes, a different group entirely

How is the intervention assigned to different groups in your experiment?

Random assignment

What is the timeline of the experimental activity? (Months/Days)

This is the first of four experiments. It was perform on December 10th, 2021.

What is the unit of analysis of this experimental activity?

Individual people.

Please describe the data collection technique proposed

A paper form will be used to collect data, which will be digitalize afterwards.

What is the estimated sample size?

10-49

What is the total estimated monetary resources needed for this experiment?

Less than 1,000 USD

Quality Check

This activity is relevant to a CPD outcome, The hypothesis is clearly stated, This activity offers strong collaboration oportunities, This activity offers a high potential for scaling, This activity has a low risk

Results

Was the original hypothesis (If.. then) proven or disproven?

Disproven.

Do you have observations about the methodology chosen for the experiment? What would you change?

The sample size should be increased. We would increase the level of difficulty for classification of items (everyone understands cans are not organic). We would collect data digitally. We could sample households to improve external validity.

From design to results, how long did this activity take? (Time in months)

Less than one month.

What were the actual monetary resources invested in this activity? (Amount in USD)

Under US$50.00

Does this activity have a follow up or a next stage? Please explain

We use these results to define the question for the next learning cycle. Why do people do not adopt practices even if they have the knowledge to do so?

Is this experiment planned to scale? How? With whom?

It is planning to scale in several ways. Its results will be used for the next cycle. The methodology will be transferred to local governments and the ministry of environment so they can discover what works, instead of only getting the results.

Considering the outcomes of this experimental activity, which of the following best describe what happened after? (Please select all that apply)

This experiment led to partnerships, This experiment led to adoption of new ways of working by our partners

Learning

[empty field]

What do you know now about the action plan learning question that you did not know before? What were your main learnings during this experiment?

We didn't find evidence that practical demonstrations are needed to understand how to clarify organic and non-organic waste. This is because a great majority of people can do it correctly, with little to no mistakes. Therefore, there is no learning curve to overcome in this respect.

What were the main obstacles and challenges you encountered during this activity?

The main obstacle is getting started. We did have to get approval for conducting the activity. People were reluctant to participate at first.

Who at UNDP might benefit from the results of this experimental activity? Why?

The environment programmatic area, because they have projects directly related to the implementation of environmental public policies. All the other programmatic areas for the use of experimental methodologies.

Who outside UNDP might benefit from the results of this experiment? and why?

The ministry of environment and local governments are the main counterparts interested in the results who are accompanying the implementation of the learning cycles. Residents from the pilot areas who get to participate and build relations with their local government and share the importance of managing waste.

Did this experiment require iterations? If so, how many and what did you change/adjust along the way? and why?

No. This was only one iteration.

What advice would you give someone wanting to replicate this experimental activity?

Conducting field experiments may require some experience and capacity to adapt, as well as to behave in a respectful and trustworthy manner.

Can this experiment be replicated in another thematic area or other SDGs? If yes, what would need to be considered, if no, why not?

Absolutely, the use of practical demonstrations to overcome a learning curve is something that can be useful for helping collaboration in the implementation of any public policy that has unfamiliar terms.

How much the "sense" and "explore" phases of the learning cycle influenced/shaped this experiment? In hindsight, what would you have done differently with your fellow Solution Mapper and Explorer?

The selection of the hypothesis to test was a direct result from exploration and mapping activities. We prioritized the hypothesis together based on the opportunities to link grassroots solutions and new sources of data.

What surprised you?

That most people already have a good understanding on how to classify organic waste, without the need of a practical demonstration. So, the reason they don't do it is not due to lack of knowledge.