Kirsten Appelt and Farraz Haqqi

Kirstin Appelt and Katherine Flaschen

In this episode of HR Tech Trailblazers, Mark Brehaut, Head of Design at Clair, sits down with Vivien Caetano, Associate Managing Director at ideas42, to explore how behavioral science can reshape financial health. They discuss why traditional approaches to financial literacy often fall short — and how designing better financial products can remove the barriers people face when managing money. In this conversation, they cover:

• Why people often choose speed and certainty over lower-cost financial options

• The role of behavioral design in improving financial products

• Why financial emergencies often begin months before payday loans appear

• The concept of context over intentions in behavioral science

• How fintech companies can design products that support financial stability and resilience

Failure to appear in criminal cases can lead defendants to jail time, draining resources from police, courts, and taxpayer dollars. But according to Alissa Fishbane, managing director at ideas42, a nonprofit think tank, the solution may be cheaper and easier than expected. A2J Lab Faculty Director Jim Greiner spoke with Fishbane in this episode of Proof Over President about her research into informational gaps that may be a root cause for several court issues like failure to appear and payment of traffic tickets.

Reducing unnecessary warrants and jail time. Alissa Fishbane, Managing Director at ideas42, and Dr. Aurélie Ouss, Assistant Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about their study to reduce the number of arrest warrants for failure to appear in court in the New York City criminal justice system. The guests highlighted the use of behavioral interventions, or nudges, that were low cost and easy to implement. They also shared how other local governments can apply behavioral science practices.