The latest news about ideas42
Behavioral science, financial stress, and better fintech products
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
Narratives and behavioral perspectives: the overlooked role of infertility in reproductive health
By Jana Smith, Megan Christofield, and Amarachi Ijeoma
2 ways to boost court flexibility, improve appearance rates
Courts deal with humans, and humans miss appointments. To account for this fact of life, courts should consider operating like every other industry — e.g., medical, voting, licensing, housing, mechanics, beauty, etc. — by offering two types of flexibility: flexible scheduling before the date, and extending grace periods after a missed appointment to allow people to appear before warrants are issued.
Can simple, affordable ideas improve courts’ costly failure-to-appear rates?
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.
Addressing court no-shows effectively
Focusing on practical solutions for improving court attendance is key to reducing harm and using limited justice system resources better.
Could texts reduce jailings? One Atlanta suburb says yes.
Riverdale has implemented a message reminder system to reduce the number of people whose lives are upended by missing a court date.
Millions of people in the U.S. miss their court date, with dire consequences
Our criminal legal system levies unduly harsh penalties for “failure to appear.”
A top reason people go to jail is a technicality. Here’s how to fix it.
Every year, millions of Americans are required to appear in court for low-level offenses, but thousands fail to show up and are issued warrants for their arrest.
It is often assumed that people who fail to appear in court do so purposefully, but new research challenges that belief.
Studies suggest that simplifying citation forms and issuing reminders can keep thousands of citizens out of jail and save state and local governments significant amounts of money.
4 strategies to improve people’s appearance in court
New national report can help local leaders get more people to show up.
Would you remember your court date?
Researchers Alissa Fishbane, Aurélie Ouss, and Anuj Shah worked with New York City government offices to develop a program to improve court appearance rates. The program, which involved both redesigned summons forms and texting defendants with reminders, prevented 30,000 arrest warrants for missed court appearances over a recent three-year period.
The researchers recommend that instead of increasing punitive measures, such as fines or jail time, for missed court appearances, policymakers should devise behavioral interventions to help defendants better comply with court summons.