The Importance of Behavior Science in Public Policy Making

Behaviora science is the study of how and why we make decisions, as well as how we develop our attitudes and beliefs about the world. Research shows that the order in which the candidate's names appear on a ballot can exert a significant influence on our voting behavior. When you don't appreciate that these factors are actually in forming decisions, then you might be engaging in sub optimal policy design. So my intention joining the white house was to make sure that we were designing public policies with our best understanding of human behaviour and mind.