Behavioral Science in Human Services – CalWORKs 2.0 | Next Generation

Behavioral Economics and Social Policy – 12 interventions pdf

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:35:59 +0000

Full Title: Behavioral Economics and Social Policy Designing Innovative Solutions for Programs Supported by the Administration for Children and Families

OPRE Report No. 2014-16b
April 2014

BIAS Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency

There are 12 easy to read and understand behavioral interventions with examples that are drawn from many many research studies. A good quick read on the subject.

Download here

This Technical Supplement to the full report presents a description of behavioral interventions that have been commonly researched in studies outside of the BIAS project. The supplement is intended to
give a broader sense of the universe of behavioral interventions that have been evaluated and have demonstrated
some efficacy.

Practitioner’s Playbook for Applying Behavioral Insights to Labor Programs website

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:28:26 +0000

This document provides an overview of how practitioners can incorporate behavioral insights into their labor programs and is based on Mathematica’s behavioral insights study conducted for the U.S. Department of Labor.

From April 30, 2017

Download here

The designers of Department of Labor programs usually assume that people make decisions after fully considering their options and then act on those decisions. However, behavioral science shows that this assumption can often be wrong. People procrastinate and forget to do important tasks. Too many choices and small hassles can overwhelm them.

DOL worked with Mathematica and ideas42 to test whether applying behavioral science principles to diverse labor programs might help these programs better meet their goals. Studies suggest that relatively modest changes to program materials, forms, or processes can greatly improve participant outcomes and program performance.

How Poverty Changes the Brain article

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 21:08:49 +0000

This 2017 article in The Atlantic magazine offers a quick overview of the research and features the work done by EMPath which lead to their service delivery model.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/04/can-brain-science-pull-families-out-of-poverty/523479/?utm_source=twb.%202017

Using Incentives in Human Services webinar and guide

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 21:02:27 +0000

Watch this webinar from Building Better Programs, a project of CalWORKs 2.0 partner, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. You can also download a Field Guide and an extensive literature review on the this webinar addresses ways in which incentives can be used to increase engagement and persistence in human service programs.

Using Incentives in Human Services: Field Guide, Literature Review, and Webinar

Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project website

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:56:39 +0000

This website for a multi year federal government project was the first major opportunity to apply a behavioral economics lens to programs that serve poor and vulnerable families in the United States.

“Insights from behavioral economics, which combines findings from psychology and economics, suggest that a deeper understanding of decision-making and behavior could improve human services program design and outcomes. Principles from behavioral economics can both shed light on decision-making and offer new tools to improve outcomes for program participants. For example, small changes in the environment can facilitate desired behaviors, planning and commitment devices can be used to improve self-control, and default rules can produce positive outcomes even for people who fail to act.”

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency

Executive Function and Design of Programs for Disadvantaged Families Paper

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:50:14 +0000

This report from CalWORKs Strategic Initiative Team member, LaDonna Pavetti of Center for Budget and Policy Priorities focuses on executive function skills from the perspective of disadvantaged adults. In many cases, adults are applying for or receiving assistance for the benefit of themselves and their children and that interventions designed to improve opportunities for adults may also have a significant impact on their children.

The paper title is: “Using Executive Function and Related Principles to Improve the Design and Delivery of Assistance Programs for Disadvantaged Families”

https://socialinnovation.usc.edu/files/2014/12/Pavetti-Executive-Function.pdf

Using Brain Science to Design New Pathways out of Poverty Paper

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:43:59 +0000

This paper published in 2014 by EMPath (formerly Crittenton Women’s Union) highlights the need for programs and policymakers to take into account the impact of social bias, persistent poverty, and trauma on brain development and Executive Function skills (impulse control, working memory, and mental flexibility) needed for adult success.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/empath-website/pdf/Research-UsingBrainScienceDesignPathwaysPoverty-0114.pdf

This is Your Stressed Out Brain on Scarcity – NPR article

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:35:53 +0000

This short article was heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered” in a health segment.

“…it doesn’t matter what kind of scarcity you’re dealing with. When humans don’t have enough of something, that fact dominates our consciousness.”

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/07/14/330434597/this-is-your-stressed-out-brain-on-scarcity

Poverty Interrupted Paper

Rachel Nicolosi — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:31:56 +0000

This white paper by Ideas42 applies behavioral science to the context of chronic scarcity and includes specific recommendations for policymakers, program designers, direct service providers and others interested in better aligning anti-poverty systems and services with human behavior.

http://www.ideas42.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/I42_PovertyWhitePaper_Digital_FINAL-1.pdf