Blog

Thoughts and insights from our work applying behavioral science to social problems.

Celebrating a Decade of Using Behavioral Science for Social Good

by ideas42

Ten years ago, ideas42 started in a small office at Harvard University. Since then, we have partnered with foundations, non-profits, government agencies, and socially-minded companies to work on more than 100 projects in over 35 countries, using behavioral science to improve millions of lives around the world. Today we released our first-ever Impact Report, taking […]

ideas42 Seminar Series: A Talk with Karla Hoff

by ideas42

  With the ideas42 Seminar Series, we invite leading scholars to share their insights and what inspires their exploration into human behavior. Our New York office was pleased to host Karla Hoff, a Lead Economist in the World Bank’s Development Research Group. She has a PhD in economics from Princeton University. Much of her work […]

Applying “When” to Real Life

by Kanyinsola Aibana

Our work involves devoting significant amounts of time to understanding what drives people’s behavior—and prompting them to make decisions and follow through with action that benefits them. As a member of ideas42, I can’t help but apply this same behavioral lens to my own life. When I read Daniel Pink’s new book, When: The Scientific […]

World Health Day 2018: Behavioral Science Promotes #HealthForAll

by ideas42

This Saturday is World Health Day, an awareness campaign the World Health Organization (WHO) leads which in 2018 focuses on universal health coverage (UHC) or #HealthForAll. According to WHO, half the world lacks access to essential health services—UHC means ensuring that all people have access. While barriers to health services are at times structural or […]

Introducing a Behavioral Playbook for Financial Providers

by Katy Davis, Maddie Kau, & Abigail Kim

Digital tools such as automated savings and investment, expense tracking, and person-to-person payments save people time and help them manage complex finances. Useful features like these can even support overall financial health, particularly for low- and middle-income consumers, if traditional financial services don’t meet their needs. Widespread adoption of these services also benefits financial providers […]

How Incorporating Behavioral Science into Cash Transfer Programs Is Changing Lives

by Josh Martin & Laura Rawlings

This post originally appeared on NextBillion.  Fighting poverty with direct cash payments is more common now than ever before. In 1997, only three developing countries had centrally managed cash transfer programs targeting poverty. Today, more than 120 do, and more than $200 million in cash is distributed daily. The adoption of cash transfers was a significant step […]

Failing Forward: Innovative Approaches to Improve Reproductive Health in Senegal

by Lydia Trupe

In any given field, the top 10% of performers produce more than 50% of the big breakthroughs. What is the key to these superstars’ success? Fortunately for most of us, the answer is not raw talent or even expertise. The truth is, these top performers produce as many bad ideas as everyone else—but, crucially, they […]

A Look at Entrepreneurship on International Women’s Day

by ideas42

At ideas42, we’re honoring International Women’s Day this year by taking a look at women entrepreneurs around the world. Globally, 37% of all enterprises are woman-owned. While there’s still progress to be made in reaching 50%, that’s hundreds of millions of women running businesses—generating incomes for their households and bolstering their local communities. Despite this […]

Every Child Reads: Bringing Literacy Home with Behavioral Science

by Cassie Taylor & Pranav Trewn

Strong reading skills are absolutely fundamental for children to succeed, both in school and later in life. Yet a majority of students in the United States are unable to read proficiently by the end of grade school. A number of well-intentioned interventions have tried to tackle this pervasive problem, but remain too difficult to scale, […]

Saving Made Easier with the Financial Health Check

by ideas42

Building a savings cushion is easier said than done. Irregular cash flows and unpredictable expenses make it difficult to determine how much to save. After surveying balances across accounts and projecting future bills, you still have to either make a trip to the bank or navigate an online portal to actually move money into a […]