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Topic
Human behaviour
Focusing on how humans think, feel and behave
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Featured Programmes and projects Latest news Voices blog Publications Research updates People
Human behaviour
Focus on human behaviour

No government works well without taking into what individuals feel and do – whether in thinking about its citizens or about the motivations of its own leaders and public sector workers. Across academic fields including behavioural science, behavioural economics and psychology, our work explores how people behave and respond, and what that means for good government.

 

FEATURED

Blavatnik School of Government exterior
Programme

Social Macroeconomics

The Social Macroeconomics programme aims to fill a particularly important gap in macroeconomic analysis and policy: the influence of social forces on macroeconomic activity and vice versa.

Economy
Human behaviour
Book launch wellbeing and policy panel discussion
Featured

Book launch: Wellbeing: Science and Policy

What produces a happy society and a happy life? This discussion around the book Wellbeing: Science and Policy shows how wellbeing can be measured, what causes it and how it can be improved to build a happier society.

Human behaviour

PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS

    • Paul Collier
      Programme

      Foundation of Values and Value Programme

    • People in Government Lab teaching session
      Programme

      People in Government Lab

    • Blavatnik building line graphic
      Project

      Social Cooperation Research Hub of Rebuilding Macroeconomics

    • Blavatnik building line graphic
      Project

      Empowering the Poor: The Behavioural and Social Foundations of Poverty Reduction, and Evolving the Role of Multilateral Responses

    • Blavatnik building line graphic
      Project

      Cash Plus

    • Women at a market in Gambia
      Programme

      Centre for the Study of African Economies

    • Blavatnik School of Government exterior
      Programme

      Social Macroeconomics

    LATEST NEWS

    SEE ALL LATEST NEWS
    Kartik Ramanna teaching a case
    News
    29 October 2024

    Karthik Ramanna's new book on managing in the age of outrage

    Whether they are heads of governments or of businesses, leaders everywhere have to grapple with the outrage that characterises our modern times, according to a new book by Karthik Ramanna, inspired by his teaching on the Blavatnik School’s Master of Public Policy.

    The School
    Human behaviour
    ...
    Business and capitalism
    Kate Orkin receiving award
    News
    15 November 2023

    Award for Kate Orkin’s role in keeping millions out of poverty

    Faculty member Kate Orkin has won the ESRC award for Outstanding Public Policy Impact, for her role advising the South African government during COVID-19 and beyond. She influenced £4.87 billion in spending that helped 28.5 million people and saved 5.5 million from extreme poverty.

    Economy
    Development
    ...
    COVID-19
    Human behaviour
    Africa
    South Africa
    Students talking in a cafe
    News
    18 April 2023

    How governments are supporting young people’s post-pandemic mental health

    Multiple countries are adopting policies to benefit young people’s mental health – from training pupils in school on mental wellbeing to increasing funding for treatment.

    Health
    Human behaviour

    VOICES BLOG

    SEE ALL VOICES
    Opinion and insight from around the school
    A nudge towards the vaccine
    Blog
    15 June 2021

    A nudge towards the vaccine

    How do we incentivise vaccine take-up? A few behavioural science insights.

    Michael Sanders
    Michael Sanders
    Emma Stockdale
    The School
    Health
    ...
    COVID-19
    Human behaviour
    Jasper Johnston, MPP 2020 student and author of this post
    Blog
    17 December 2020

    Building and maintaining an effective team, from classroom to boardroom

    Jasper Johnston
    Jasper Johnston
    The School
    Human behaviour
    Voting sign in California 2008
    Blog
    16 October 2020

    Politics is faith, not science

    Hugo Slim
    Hugo Slim
    Democracy and politics
    Human behaviour

    PUBLICATIONS

      • Publication
        23 February 2021

        Zero-sum mindset and its discontents

        Patricia Andrews FearonFriedrich M GötzGregory Serapio-GarcíaDavid Good
        Human behaviour
        Social Macroeconomics
        ...
        United Kingdom (UK)
        United States of America (USA)
      • Publication
        01 September 2020

        Assessing the impact of remuneration on the levels of corruption in the street-level bureaucrats of Pakistan

        Waqar Ali Khan
        Public sector
        Integrity
        ...
        Human behaviour
        Building Integrity
        Pakistan
      • Publication
        02 March 2020

        Scarcity and cognitive function around payday: a conceptual and empirical analysis

        Anandi ManiSendhil MullainathanElar ShafirJiaying Zhao
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Development
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
      • Publication
        10 February 2020

        Cognitive droughts

        Anandi ManiGuilherme Lichand
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Development
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
        Brazil
      • Publication
        18 October 2019

        Psychological and social motivations in microfinance contracts: theory and evidence

        Sanjit DhamiJunaid ArshadAli al-Nowaihi
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        15 October 2019

        Sex workers, stigma and self-image: evidence from Kolkata brothels

        Anandi ManiSayantan GhosalSmarajit JanaSandip MitraSanchari Roy
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Inclusion
        Development
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
        India
      • Publication
        13 September 2019

        Public goods and future audiences: acting as role models?

        Giuseppe AttanasiRoberta DessíFrédéric MoisanDonald Robertson
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        25 July 2019

        Commentary on Edmund Rolls: 'Emotion and reason in human decision-making'

        Mark Solms
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        12 June 2019

        Cooperation and identity

        Dennis SnowerAssar Lindbeck
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        05 April 2019

        The demand for insurance under limited trust: evidence from a field experiment in Kenya

        Stefan DerconJan Willem GunningAndrew Zeitlin
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Development
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
        Kenya
      • Publication
        04 April 2019

        Parental aspirations for children’s education: is there a “girl effect”? Experimental evidence from rural Ethiopia

        Kate OrkinStefan DerconTanguy BernardAlemayehu Seyoum Taffesse
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Education
        Inclusion
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
        Ethiopia
      • Publication
        29 March 2019

        Enhancing property tax compliance in Mandalay

        Sebastian KriticosMichael Blake
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Public sector
        Development
        Cities that Work
        International Growth Centre
        Myanmar
      • Publication
        22 March 2019

        Rational Social Man and the compliance problem: an application of identity economics

        Paul Collier
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Public sector
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        11 February 2019

        Toward a cognitive science of markets: economic agents as sense-makers

        Samuel G B Johnson
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        06 February 2019

        How everyday ethics becomes a moral economy, and vice versa

        Webb Keane
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        02 February 2019

        Emotion and reason in human decision-making

        Edmund T Rolls
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        28 August 2018

        Rational social man, speech acts, and the compliance problem

        Paul Collier
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Public sector
      • Publication
        25 June 2018

        Trust and its determinants: evidence from the Trustlab experiment

        Yann Algan Fabrice MurtinLara FleischerVincent SiegerinkArnstein AassveRomina BoariniSantiago GonzalezZsuzsanna LontiGianluca GrimaldaUlrich SchmidtRafael Hortala VallveSoonhee KimDavid LeeLouis PuttermanConal Smith
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
        France
        Germany
        Italy
        Slovenia
        South Korea
        United States of America (USA)
      • Publication
        01 May 2018

        When does team renumeration work? An experimental study on interactions between workplace contexts

        Simon BartkeFelix Gelhaar
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 November 2017

        An interdisciplinary model for macroeconomics

        Andrew G HaldaneArthur E Turrell
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        02 June 2017

        Where do fairness preferences come from? Norm transmission in a teen friendship network

        David Hugh-JonesJinnie Ooi
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 June 2017

        On culture and corruption

        Robert Klitgaard
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Integrity
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        03 May 2017

        Hiding Money: Evidence from a field experiment with aspiring female entrepreneurs

        Mahreen MahmudFarah SaidGiovanna d'AddaAzam Chaudhry
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Inclusion
        Centre for the Study of African Economies
        Economic growth and equality
        Pakistan
      • Publication
        01 March 2017

        Humans reciprocate intentional harm by discriminating against group peers

        David Hugh-JonesItay RonRo'i Zultan
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 August 2016

        The ethical foundations of aid

        Paul Collier
        Integrity
        Development
        ...
        Human behaviour
        Economic growth and equality
        China
      • Publication
        01 December 2015

        Striving for balance in economics: towards a theory of the social determination of behaviour

        Karla HoffJoseph E Stiglitz
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 November 2015

        Discrimination as a coordination device: markets and the emergence of identity

        Kaushik Basu
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 October 2015

        Compliance behaviour in networks: evidence from a field experiment

        Francesco DragoFriederike MengelChristian Traxler
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 June 2010

        The interaction of legal and social norm enforcement

        Sebastian KubeChristian Traxler
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        01 April 2009

        Altruism, other-regarding behaviour and identity: the moral basis of prosperity and oppression

        Kaushik Basu
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        15 March 2007

        Social norms and the evolution of conditional cooperation

        Mathias SpichtigChristian Traxler
        Human behaviour
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics

      RESEARCH UPDATES

      SEE ALL RESEARCH UPDATES
      Pepper Culpepper
      Research update

      Article in Comparative Political Studies on how narratives influence support for wealth redistribution

      An article by Pepper Culpepper and colleagues, based on research from his Banklash project. They tested whether narratives that portray inequality as the consequence of systemic unfairness increase demands for redistribution. Across six countries, the USA was an intriguing outlier.

      Human behaviour
      Democracy and politics
      Tom Simpson headshot
      Research update

      Chapter on trust and the rule of law

      Tom Simpson contributes a chapter on trust and the rule of law to the book Conversations in Philosophy, Law, and Politics (OUP). 

      Law
      Integrity
      ...
      Human behaviour
      Abstract image of Earth against natural backdrop of stream and moss
      Research update

      Paper showing that additional schooling leads people to behave and vote in more climate-friendly ways

      A paper by Noam Angrist and colleagues in the Review of Economics and Statistics (MIT) estimates how far additional years of schooling influence individual behaviour change and voting preferences around climate change. The authors show that an extra year of education substantially increases pro-climate beliefs, behaviours, and policy preferences.

      Climate and environment
      Education
      ...
      Human behaviour
      Anne-Marie Houde
      Research update

      Article on anxiety provoked by politics in International Political Sociology

      Article by Anne-Marie Houde looking at how individuals cope with the anxiety that international politics can elicit. 

      Human behaviour

      PEOPLE

      See all people
      Clare Leaver
      Academic Co-director
      Anandi Mani
      Professor of Behavioural Economics and Public Policy
      Kate Orkin
      Associate Professor in Economics and Public Policy
      Eldar Shafir
      Visiting Professor 2015-2026
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