It’s easy to agree that poverty is a problem, but explaining its causes and prescribing solutions is a far more difficult and complex task. What if children born into poverty could become as likely to succeed as their wealthier peers? What if intergenerational poverty were not an unavoidable and enduring evil, but entirely tractable? These […]
A new evaluation of a project that ideas42 collaborated on points to the huge impact that low-cost, easy-to-implement interventions can have on the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. Using ideas42’s unique diagnosis and design methodology, the project aimed to increase the number of inmates in Texas prisons who […]
Approximately 70 million American adults are considered unbanked or underbanked, and are forced to manage their money through costly alternative financial services that operate outside of the traditional banking system. These services, such as check-cashers and payday loans, impose large fees that often accumulate over time, which can trap consumers in cyclical and deepening debt. An alarming […]
Over 5 million people in South Africa are infected with HIV. Worryingly, teenage schoolgirls are three times more likely to be HIV positive than boys their age. One of the reasons behind this alarming phenomenon is thought to be the widespread tendency for young girls to have relationships with older men, who are more likely […]
Whether you’re writing a check to your landlord, swiping your credit card at the checkout counter, or diverting a portion of your paycheck into a 401(k), it’s likely that a financial institution plays an important role in your daily life. Yet the same cannot be said for all Americans: more than one in four households […]
A recent report from the Brookings Institution has caused quite a controversy in the postsecondary education space. Authors Matt Chingos and Beth Akers presented new survey evidence suggesting that the economic impact of student loans nationwide may be less than the popular narrative indicates. David Leonhardt drills down into this topic in the New York […]
We’re excited to announce that ideas42 is working with the Robin Hood Foundation on a new $5 million prize challenge to address the critical problem of low college completion rates. The Robin Hood College Success Prize will identify innovative solutions that provide first-time, full-time community college students who must take remedial courses with the tools they […]
Over the past several months, ideas42 engaged in a competitive ‘Request for Problems’ process to gather the most pressing behavioral problems in the postsecondary education sector. The team received 56 applications from a variety of organizations, including four-year institutions, non-profits, national networks, high schools, and education technology start-ups. The problems submitted fell across the postsecondary […]
It’s no secret that saving money is a good idea. Even when money is tight, putting away a small amount on a regular basis can help deal with unforeseen financial shocks as well as allow people to make investments to build financial stability in the long-term. But time and time again we see people failing to save for […]
In the social sector, it’s not always possible to test the impact of a designed solution. This often leaves us wondering whether resources are spent in ways that have real effects on welfare. The BETA Projectwas a unique opportunity to design behavioral solutions for three partner sites and test each solution to see whether or […]
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