Every election season, polling data fills headlines, drives campaign strategies, and sways public policy decisions. But what if the numbers aren’t as straightforward as they seem? And if subtle biases in how we ask questions or who asks them distorts our understanding of public sentiment? Our recent research sheds light on this issue by exploring a specific, yet often … [Read more...] about Are Polls Accurate? The Power of the Interviewer in Creating Bias
Carlos Scartascini
Carlos Scartascini is Head of the Development Research Group at the Research Department and Leader of the Behavioral Economics Group of the Inter-American Development Bank. He has published eight books and more than 60 articles in academic journals and edited volumes. He is a member of the Executive Committee of IDB's Gender and Diversity Lab, member of the Board of Advisors of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, Associate Editor of the academic journal Economía, and Founding Member of LACEA's BRAIN (Behavioral Insights Network). A native of Argentina, Dr. Scartascini holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Economics from George Mason University.
Hurricanes, Trust, and the Role of Aid: Lessons from Mexico City’s 2017 Earthquake
Hurricanes Helene and Milton barreled into the southeast of the United States in late September and early October eviscerating towns, destroying homes, and killing scores of people in a challenge for both emergency responders and the ability of political institutions to maintain the trust of their citizens. Research has shown that natural disasters often shake the … [Read more...] about Hurricanes, Trust, and the Role of Aid: Lessons from Mexico City’s 2017 Earthquake
Greener Businesses: A Win for Nature and the Economy
As the effects of climate change intensify around the world, companies are under growing pressure from government regulations, as well as investors and consumers, to move towards more sustainable and eco-friendly practices. A classic example is the European Union's (EU's) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which entered into a transitional phase in 2023 and will go into … [Read more...] about Greener Businesses: A Win for Nature and the Economy
Behavioral Interventions to Boost Telemedicine
Medical care is a challenge in Argentina, which stretches across nearly 2.8 million square kilometers (1.08 million square miles) of Andean mountains, pampas, steppe and desert. So it's no surprise that the country was one of the first adopters in Latin America of telemedicine. Twenty-six percent of the hospitals nationwide offered telemedicine services to their patients in … [Read more...] about Behavioral Interventions to Boost Telemedicine
AI and the Importance of Regulation from a Star-Wars Perspective
While the uses and capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to grow at a fast pace, the head-long rush into new frontiers could have significant drawbacks. As Anton Korinek, an AI expert at the University of Virginia, described in a recent blog, AI systems could soon replace relatively unskilled cognitive workers, like people who work in call centers or low-level … [Read more...] about AI and the Importance of Regulation from a Star-Wars Perspective