This Anthro Life Designing Resilience - Behavioral Science Meets Humanitarian Action with Britt Titus
Mar 21, 2023
50:05
How to Build a More Resilient World
The COVID-19 pandemic leveled the playing field between those who have the privilege to avoid or mitigate disasters and those who don’t. But the pandemic is just one of many ongoing challenges and crises that people are and have been facing for years.
In addition to raising awareness, much of the work that we have as people and organizations is in how we respond in moments of crisis. How do we know what works? How can we respond effectively? And will one type of aid be culturally appropriate if moved to another area? To help us answer these questions, we’re joined today by Britt Titus. Britt is the Behavioural Insights Lead at the Airbel Impact Lab, the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) research and innovation team which designs, tests, and scales solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster.
Drawing from her decade-long experience in the humanitarian space, Britt talks about 1) how regional disaster response can be applied to global emergencies, 2) how the Airbel Impact Lab team localizes and evaluates the impact of its interventions, and 3) what’s top of mind for them in creating life-changing solutions for the communities that the IRC serves.
Show Highlights:
Links and Resources:
The COVID-19 pandemic leveled the playing field between those who have the privilege to avoid or mitigate disasters and those who don’t. But the pandemic is just one of many ongoing challenges and crises that people are and have been facing for years.
In addition to raising awareness, much of the work that we have as people and organizations is in how we respond in moments of crisis. How do we know what works? How can we respond effectively? And will one type of aid be culturally appropriate if moved to another area? To help us answer these questions, we’re joined today by Britt Titus. Britt is the Behavioural Insights Lead at the Airbel Impact Lab, the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) research and innovation team which designs, tests, and scales solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster.
Drawing from her decade-long experience in the humanitarian space, Britt talks about 1) how regional disaster response can be applied to global emergencies, 2) how the Airbel Impact Lab team localizes and evaluates the impact of its interventions, and 3) what’s top of mind for them in creating life-changing solutions for the communities that the IRC serves.
Show Highlights:
- [03:37] How Britt found herself at the intersection of behavioral insights design and the humanitarian space
- [08:33] How lessons gleaned from regional disaster response can be applied to global emergencies
- [12:03] The methods that the Airbel Impact Lab uses to localize interventions
- [21:05] How the Lab evaluates the impact of its interventions
- [28:21] On the process of re-sharing localized information and learnings elsewhere
- [32:22] A key challenge facing Britt and her colleagues today
- [37:32] Britt discusses the Lab’s InforMH project
- [47:21] What Britt is looking forward to in the behavioral design and humanitarian space
Links and Resources:
- Airbel Impact Lab
- International Rescue Committee
- InforMH
- TIWG Forced Migration Series: Humanitarian Response Interventions, Jeannie Annan and Britt Titus
- Connect with Britt Titus via LinkedIn
- Connect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or Twitter