Economic Justice

Policy Lab: Rebuilding the Safety Net by Reducing Administrative Burden

by Amanda Kaplan and Kelli Garcia

June 24, 2022 A few weeks before 4-year-old Paul Peterson was scheduled to have surgery to close a hole in his stomach as part of his recovery from a stroke, he was dropped from Medicaid coverage. While his mother frantically worked to figure out what happened and get him re-enrolled, his surgery was delayed and […]

Changing Narratives Around Care Work in Argentina and Beyond

by Eva Matos

Achieving gender equity doesn’t require better arguments or more evidence, it needs new narratives. Last year, Argentina’s marea verde, or green tide, delivered a sweeping abortion reform, moving the needle in favor of gender equity in a society that’s still influenced by prevailing Catholic values and norms that stigmatize a woman’s right to choose. Millions […]

International Women’s Day: Breaking the Bias With Behavioral Science

by ideas42

International Women’s Day is a day of reflection—an acknowledgment that women around the world have long faced barriers to equal economic and social opportunities, and health services (and by extension outcomes). While at times it might seem like many women are fighting an uphill battle with challenging policy environments and resource constraints, behavioral science can […]

Black History Month: Honoring Black Behavioral Scientists

by ideas42

In the U.S., Black History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions made by Black people in all walks of life, across all industries and in all parts of our society. It’s also a time to celebrate and amplify the voices of those in the Black community and reflect on those who inspire […]

A Look Back on 2021: 5 Behavioral Science Takeaways

by ideas42

Every day, working with a wide range of partners around the world, we use behavioral science to address complex social problems. And each year, we take a moment to reflect on this work, what we’ve learned, and how to build on this knowledge going forward.  As 2021 draws to a close, here are five takeaways […]

Building Behavioral Science Capacity 60 Minutes at a Time: Better Client Surveys

by Laura Wolff

In recent decades, behavioral scientists around the world have partnered with government agencies and large institutions to enhance program impact and solve pressing societal problems. However, this body of empirical research and its practical applications have not usually been accessible to the multitude of people on the front lines of service delivery, crisis response, and […]

Context Matters: Designing Policies for Shared Prosperity with ideas42 Policy Lab

by Kelli Garcia

In a 1962 episode of the classic television show Candid Camera called “Face the Rear,” a group of actors enters an elevator one at a time. Rather than turning around to face the doors, they remain facing the back. The unsuspecting rider and subject of the “prank” who was originally on the elevator now faces a […]

Building Behavioral Science Capacity 60 Minutes at a Time: Enhancing Participant Engagement

by Laura Wolff

In recent decades, behavioral scientists around the world have partnered with government agencies and large institutions to enhance program impact and solve pressing societal problems. However, this body of empirical research and its practical applications have not usually been accessible to the multitude of people on the front lines of service delivery, crisis response, and […]

Policy Lab: The Child Tax Credit Meets Families’ Needs

by Kelli Garcia

October 21, 2021 The first monthly payments of the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan, lifted 3 million children out of poverty. Rather than receiving the child tax credit in a lump sum as part of their tax refund, families received the credit through monthly deposits into their […]