Behavioral Economics

December 29, 2015

How a Soap Opera Affected Brazil’s Fertility Rate

During the past 40 years, Brazil's fertility rates declined. One cause was the new values that soap operas conveyed to an uneducated rural population.

December 13, 2015

What We Are Willing to Do For Money

Monetary incentives can influence a decision and distort the information we access for our cost and benefit research.

December 8, 2015

Where Toilets “Take a Village”

Shown by a project in rural India, building a sanitation network that includes toilets can eliminate open defecation and the disease it creates.

December 7, 2015

Debating the Size of the Social Safety Net

If Finland replaces benefits with a monthly check, the tradeoffs for its safety net programs will be domestic and international.

November 30, 2015

Marriage Markets in China and India

With son preference, limited fertility and social norms, China's and India's sex ratios at birth have created a male glut and new marriage markets.

November 19, 2015

The Cost of Garbage

With landfills, recycling and composting the alternatives, garbage incineration that generates electricity has become increasingly popular.