Hacking 4 Good: Unlock the Mind & Change Behavior

#sxsw #hack4good

Obesity. Excessive energy consumption. HIV/AIDs prevalence.
Many of the most frustrating, seemingly intractable problems of the 21st century are driven by human behavior. To address these challenges, we’ll need to understand, at the most basic level, why people do the things they do. Why do people choose to eat that 14th Slim-Jim? To sit on the couch instead of exercising? To engage in unprotected sex? Understanding the answers to these questions can help us build solutions to society’s - and even our own - toughest problems.
Our panel discusses low-cost, simple interventions, or ‘nudges,’ that both government and private organizations use to impact behavior through changing the context in which individuals make decisions. We bring together ‘nudging’ experts with diverse experiences to examine the power of nudges, discuss where and how they are being implemented in the public and private sectors, and engage in an interactive debate over the ethics of nudging in each of these realms.

Presenters

Anna Mohan

Deloitte

Jitinder Kohli

Sr Fellow

Center for American Progress

Jonathan Zinman

Dir/Professor

Innovations for Poverty Action/Dartmouth

Jonathan Zinman is Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, and Director of the U.S. Household Finance Initiative of Innovations for Poverty Action. He also serves as a member of the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board, a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, a member of the Behavioral Finance Forum, a research affiliate of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and the M.I.T. Jameel Poverty Action Lab, a Research Advisory Board member of stickk.com and HelloWallet, and a member of the Sage/Sloan Foundations working group on Behavioral Economics and the Regulation of Retail Financial Markets. He has papers published or forthcoming in several top journals in economics, finance, and general-interest science, and his work has been featured extensively in popular and trade media as well. Professor Zinman applies his research by working with policymakers and financial institutions around the globe.

Shrupti Shah

Dir

Deloitte Consulting-GovLab

Shrupti leads GovLab on behalf of Deloitte's Federal Government Practice in Washington DC. GovLab works closely with senior government executives and thought leaders from across the globe. GovLab Fellows conduct research into key issues and emerging ideas shaping the public, private and non-profit sectors. Through exploration and analysis of Government’s most pressing challenges, we seek to develop innovative yet practical ways that governments can transform the way they deliver their services and prepare for the challenges ahead.