Behavioural Approaches in Measuring & Delivering Impact: What are we Learning?

Researchers of behavioural economics argue that actions and decisions made by human beings are not always guided by rationality. In fact, while we may have clear intentions, our decisions are not always a reflection of the goals we wish to achieve. When Richard Thaler won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2017 for his work in the field, he inspired us to think differently about human behaviour. In Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness, Thaler and Sunstein argue that there are many opportunities to “nudge” people’s behaviour by designing changes to the context in which they make decisions. Join us to find out more about behavioural economics and international development. Hear from experts at IFAD on how behavioural insights can be used to design projects more effectively, deliver higher impact and measure the consequences of human behaviour. A panel discussion will include contributions from ideas42, which has applied behavioural insights in hundreds of projects in 45 countries, helping people to act on choices that affect their lives and communities, and the Busara Center for Behavioural Economics, which has been designing and implementing interventions in Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda. Mary MacLennan, Behavioural Sciences Lead at the UN Innovation Network, will share her own experience of leading the behavioural science community of practice within the United Nations, as well as some of the ongoing behavioural insights work of the UN Innovation Network.