How to Get People to Pitch In
Why do social interventions work? Research on the evolution of cooperation provides an answer. Beyond helping our families — the people to whom we’re genetically related — making others better off is not our main motivation to give. Instead, we cooperate because it makes us look good. This can be going on consciously or, more often, subconsciously (a gut feeling of guilt when your neighbor sees you turning on your sprinkler).
.. The first is that such schemes often pay (or charge) too little, so it’s not worth the trouble. Avoiding an increase in a water bill of $25 a month just isn’t worth the effort of reprogramming the sprinklers.
In fact, such incentives can actually backfire.