Blog

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

Richard Thaler Wins Nobel Prize in Economics

by DJ Neri & Evan Nesterak, The Behavioral Scientist

Richard Thaler, our long-time advisor (and a source of inspiration for our work), has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his pioneering work in applied behavioral economics. Below is an article about the impact of his contributions to the field that originally appeared on the Behavioral Scientist.  Richard Thaler, an economist at the University of […]

Breaking Through Behavioral Challenges in Global Health

by Karina Lorenzana & Jana Smith

It’s hard to argue that health isn’t essential to a good and productive life. When we’re sick, it’s difficult if not impossible to work. Managing an illness or health condition can be a full-time job, or it can be so stressful and difficult that it leads to other maladies. Moreover, the costs of medical care […]

Learning Behavioral Design, Part 2: How to Embed Behavioral Design in Organizations

by ideas42

Over the last year and a half, we collaborated with 11 financial capability organizations to teach them how to apply behavioral insights to their programs. Each organization identified and tackled an initial problem impeding client financial health by leveraging their unique knowledge of the populations they serve. The reach of the Behavioral Design Project (BDP) […]

Got Behavioral Science Results? Help Us Build a Resource for All

by ideas42

It’s been more than three months since the launch of the Behavioral Evidence Hub, a community-driven collection of behavioral interventions proven to create impact. Jointly launched by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), the University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), and ideas42, the B-Hub (as it’s affectionately called) has been visited […]

Overcoming the “Ick Factor”: Promoting Insects as a Sustainable Protein

by John Harris & Abi Warren

The consumption of animals has long met the ire of both environmental and climate scientists. Meat production alone is responsible for roughly 40% more greenhouse emissions than all global transportation systems combined. Additionally, an estimated 30% of the planet’s land surface is used to feed animals we will eventually eat. With the global human population […]

Keeping the Paths to Credit Open in Mexico

by Jaclyn Lefkowitz

What is the cost of making a late loan payment? If you’re like most people, you probably think of late fees. But there are also less visible, longer-term consequences that can have a serious impact on financial wellbeing. For example, late payments affect credit scores, which in turn can affect the ability to access credit […]

Runaway Trains of Thought: How Boosting Cognitive Bandwidth Can Fight Poverty

by Katy Davis & Colleen Briggs

This post originally appeared on NextBillion.  Imagine you just received the news that you have a serious but treatable medical condition. What would you think about? Perhaps you would fear for your health, or worry about what the treatment’s side effects might be. In a recent study, participants were asked what they would think about […]

The Feedback Card: Real-Time Budgeting for Real People

by Hyunsoo Chang & Will Tucker-Ray

Millions of Americans struggle to manage their complex finances, even with countless budgeting tools that exist to make the process easier. The myriad of features included in these kinds of tools can even add to the complexity, and they often don’t account for the limited time and attention that people experience in real life. That’s […]

From WIC to SNAP: Benefits Programs Go Farther with Behavioral Science

by ideas42

In the United States, more than 45 million people live below the poverty line, including one in five children who will experience its long-lasting effects. While public benefits programs meaningfully impact countless lives by providing essentials like food and health care, many people who are struggling do not receive these benefits for a variety of […]