Global Health

Fieldwork During the Pandemic? Four Behavioral Insights for Conducting Remote Interviews

by Preeti Anand and Sylvia Kezengwa

As behavioral scientists, we know context matters. That’s why in a typical ideas42 project, our team members engage closely with the lived context of real people who will use or be impacted by our designs. We observe how people go about their lives and make daily decisions, interview service providers and people who use these […]

Empowering Girls as Agents of Change in Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy

by Arielle Gorstein & Emily Zimmerman

An unplanned pregnancy during adolescence can dramatically impact a girl’s health and economic future, yet use of modern family planning (FP) services among adolescents remains low in many places. The challenge is particularly great in many countries in Africa, where despite a global rise in FP use among adolescents, adolescent fertility remains high and nearly […]

When Choices Don’t Match Preferences: Better Family Planning Through Behavioral Design

by Elizabeth McElwee & Emily Zimmerman

This post originally appeared on the Breakthrough Action + Research blog.  Thanks to global efforts, family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services have made great strides. However, many people still do not use these services even when they currently want to avoid or delay pregnancy. Behavioral economics brings a unique perspective to the choices people […]

Ethical Machine Learning

by ideas42

  Applied together, it is fair to say that machine learning and behavioral science have the potential to significantly magnify social impact. Yet, as machine learning algorithms become more prevalent in the systems people use to make important decisions, there is deep, and not unfounded, concern that algorithms – even those designed with social impact […]

What Behavioral Science Can Teach us 4+ Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Lois Aryee & Mukta Joshi

As economies enter various phases of ‘opening back up’ and countries gradually ease COVID-19-related lockdowns and restrictions, many people find themselves constantly navigating ambiguity and uncertainty around how this should affect their everyday decisions and actions.  Two ideas42 team members, based in different parts of the world, share their experiences and offer helpful insights based […]

ideas42 Stands for Racial Justice

by ideas42

We are disgusted by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We are angry about the ongoing racism faced by Black people. This anger is not new in the US, as Black Americans have faced a long history of racist violence driven not by a few bad actors, but by systemic racism […]

Using Behavioral Science to Change Malaria Testing Practices in Nigeria

by Sriram Sridharan, Faraz Haqqi & Emily Zimmerman

“We don’t gamble with human life up here […] You know the main killer in Africa is this malaria.” – Doctor, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Most health care providers in Nigeria know the protocols for testing and treating patients for malaria. When asked, providers correctly explain that every case of fever should be tested, and […]

So You’re Working from Home? Make the Most of it with Behavioral Science Tips

by Dana Guichon

This is part of a series of posts about behavioral science and COVID-19. Click here to read about two of the most important behaviors during this crisis–social distancing and seeking medical help. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its alarming spread, many of us are looking to do our part to ease this rising tide. We […]

When Social Distancing Is Impossible: Humanitarian Crises and Human Behavior

by Meghann Perez

This is part of a series of posts on behavioral science and COVID-19. Recent news has focused strongly on how the U.S. and many European countries will cope with the newfound “way of life” in adhering to public health guidelines for COVID-19. Largely missing in this narrative are the significant global challenges yet to come—such […]

The Behavioral Side of COVID-19

by Piyush Tantia & Meghann Perez

This is the first of a series of posts about behavioral science and COVID-19. Government officials are trying to yell life-saving instructions over the roar of social media. And some of us are trying to follow those instructions and encouraging stubborn family and friends to do so, too. These directives aren’t just hard to communicate, […]