Education

Behavioral Science + Machine Learning = More Social Impact

by Rachel Rosenberg & Michael Stern

Imagine entering college for the first time. In addition to starting day one in a completely new environment, you have countless decisions to make within just a couple of weeks that will determine your path for the next two to four years: “What do I want to study?” “Which courses do I need to take?” […]

Building Reading Habits at Home with Behavioral Insights

by Cassie Taylor

Early reading habits are predictive of a number of later life outcomes, including higher education attainment and income, yet more than two-thirds of fourth graders in U.S. public schools are not reading proficiently. We often think of education as taking place entirely at school, but fourth graders only spend about 13% of their waking hours in the […]

5 Impactful Behavioral Insights from 2018

by ideas42

A significant part of our work at ideas42 is learning, constantly, about people—how they make decisions and how their actions are impacted by the world around them. Through a deeper understanding about our often-quirky tendencies, we can more effectively design solutions that can positively impact the lives of millions of people. In this process, each […]

Bringing Behavioral Design to NYC Non-profits

by ideas42

We’ve spent more than a decade applying behavioral science to complex social problems, all in the service of improving the lives of millions of people. Part of our mission is to dramatically expand the use of behavioral science as a problem-solving tool, and that’s why we’ve recently broadened our efforts to bring this approach to […]

More Opportunities to Support Student Financial Health

by Maya Alper

The start of a new academic year should be an exciting time for the 19.9 million students who recently began or are continuing in college. But for many students, college also brings stressful financial decisions. These decisions weigh on many students, but the burden is often heaviest for those who are balancing school with full […]

‘Tis the Season for Americans to…Give to Charity?

by Sarah Welch

In 2014, 31% of annual charitable giving occurred in the month of December—and 12% in the last 3 days of the year. Why? There are many potential reasons. The traditional holiday season sparks generosity and a desire to help others. Some people make last-minute donations for tax purposes. And more recently, fundraisers’ giving campaigns are […]

Trick or Treat: Four Spooky (Because They’re Real) Behavioral Insights

by ideas42

If you’re getting yourself into the Halloween…spirit…by checking the back of closets and behind curtains for boogeymen, don’t forget to take a peek in the mirror. Sometimes we don’t find the eeriest things lurking in dark corners, but in the corners of our own minds. That’s right, studying behavior (and examining our own behavior) can […]

Want Generous, Intentional, and Informed Giving? Try Behavioral Science

by Omar Parbhoo

It’s often said that Americans are exceptionally generous, and fortunately, it’s a claim that’s well supported by the numbers. In 2016 alone, U.S. households donated over $282 billion to charities worldwide. And when compared globally, the U.S. consistently ranks as one of the most altruistic countries by the World Giving Index. But do these absolute […]

The Role of Combinatorial Innovation in Addressing Societal Challenges

by ideas42

  idea42’s Josh Wright recently caught up with Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer of Schmidt Futures, and former Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  One of the ideas that Tom is exploring is that science and technology can and should be playing a larger role in addressing societal challenges, particularly those […]

ideas42 Seminar Series: A Talk with Daniel Chen

by ideas42

With the ideas42 Seminar Series, we invite leading scholars to share their insights and what inspires their exploration into human behavior. Our New York office was pleased to host Daniel Chen, researcher at Toulouse School of Economics. He has a law degree from Harvard Law School and a PhD in economics from Massachusetts Institute of […]