Before the financial crisis of 2008, most governments lacked an institutional framework for handling financial policy. Central banks focused on monetary policy. They mostly used interest rates to influence inflation and output, believing such a focus could guarantee economic stability. But when it came to financial policy they were inclined to trust the invisible hand of the … [Read more...] about When Focusing on the Interest Rate is Not Enough
Persevere and Triumph: Teaching Grit and Patience for School Success
As parents, we want schools to teach values as well as academic subjects. We want them to impart to our kids qualities like patience and grit -- traits that experts in education have long understood to be as important to academic and professional achievement as the ability to do math and use language. Yet, despite parents' wishes, too little thought has been given as to how … [Read more...] about Persevere and Triumph: Teaching Grit and Patience for School Success
Leveraging Behavioral Insights for a More Equitable Workplace
Most of us are biased. We scan the world, making emotional and often automatic judgments about people based on factors like gender, race and socio-economic status. We misjudge people. When it comes to hiring, this can result not only in unfair decisions that penalize deserving candidates, but to more homogenous—and less creative and productive—groups of employees. As we … [Read more...] about Leveraging Behavioral Insights for a More Equitable Workplace
Boosting Productive Capabilities to Transform a Nation
It is a rare for a single company's arrival in a nation to be transformative. But the decision of BeamOne, an American firm, to begin operating in Costa Rica in 2008 marks an exception. Medical devices producers need sterilization. BeamOne's arrival to fulfill that need for a growing cluster of multinationals in the life sciences industry meant a mini revolution in the … [Read more...] about Boosting Productive Capabilities to Transform a Nation
Social Environments and the Behavioral Interventions That Work
Alissa Fishbane is a Managing Director of ideas42, a non-profit consulting firm that has grown from a small project of top academics at Harvard to a cutting-edge promoter of scalable behavioral interventions with global influence. A former director of organizations dealing with poverty, health and educational issues, she works with ideas42 in its efforts to address a host of … [Read more...] about Social Environments and the Behavioral Interventions That Work