Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to assess how fact-checks regularly sent to participants through WhatsApp can affect their ability to discern false information, as well as their beliefs and attitudes related to topics subject to viral misinformation, particularly Covid-19. Overall, the intervention improved participants’ ability to detect misinformation and somewhat increased their willingness to participate in Covid-19 safety measures, particularly when the intervention was delivered in the form of a short text or a podcast with empathetic language.

In the context of a recent government policy that reduced costs of formalization, researchers provided information on the formal entry process through workshops and personalized visits to determine the impacts of information on firms’ decision to formalize.