Behavioral science in the Global South: Accounting for context in non-WEIRD settings

Anisha Singh

Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

September 20, 2022 12:00PM Millikan Room, E53-482


Behavioral science in the Global South: Accounting for context in non-WEIRD settings

Tuesday, September 20, 2022
12:00-1:15 PM EDT | Milikan Room, E53-482

MIT GOV/LAB practitioner-in-residence, Anisha Singh from Busara Center for Behavioral Economics headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya presents research on behavioral science approach to governance in developing countries. This event is in-person on the MIT campus. Free and open to the general public. RSVP below by September 16.

Lunch will be served from 12:00- 12:30 following the presentation.

Description
A lot of behavioral science research has taken place in WEIRD contexts (western, educated, industrialized, rich, developed), so what are sometimes thought of as universal behavioral norms might not exist everywhere in the world. In conducting research in the Global South, Busara works with local partners to ensure they’re gathering solid evidence for how people behave in under-studied areas.

Anisha Singh, Director for Research and Innovation at Busara, is MIT GOV/LAB’s current practitioner-in-residence, a program that provides partners with resources to develop new projects and space to reflect on and share their experiences in the field. During her residency, Anisha will be creating a microsite of behavioral science resources to help civil society organizations, researchers, academics, and policymakers to apply behavioral science insights to better address research questions, and improve their programs and policies, especially in the Global South.

In the presentation, Anisha will speak about using behavioral lab experiments for governance-related questions and share an example of previous work. Furthermore, she will be speaking about her work at MIT GOV/LAB, and contextual learning, applying behavioral science in the Global South. To learn more about Anisha's previous work and her plans for the fellowship at MIT GOV/LAB, read our interview here.