Bent Flyvbjerg, Danish economic geographer, discusses the pivotal role of human risk in mega-projects, cognitive and power biases, simplicity in project governance, data collection, storytelling and availability bias, challenges of conducting research in China, reference star forecasting, Warren Buffett's views on compound interest, 'fat tails' and risk management in mega-projects.

Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope, an expert in forensic accounting, discusses scams, stories, and secrets behind fraud. She explores what drives people to commit fraud and the motivations of whistleblowers. The impact on victims, the importance of catching small incidents of fraud, and the role of technology in preventing fraud are also discussed. She challenges the misconception that only evil people commit fraud and emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of fraud and its motivations.

How can we design incentive programmes that deliver the right outcomes and avoid the wrong ones? We're all familiar with teh idea of rewards to encourage good behaviour and punishment to deter bad behaviour. Incentive programmes are common because they're effective. But they often come with unintended consequences.On this episode, I'm speaking to a former colleague of mine, Bruce Rigal. He began his career in Investment Banking — where we worked together — before, like me, moving into Behavioural Science. As part of his role in banking, Bruce was responsible for the development of an incentive program within a bank, making him the ideal person to talk to about the challenges of developing ones that will deliver the right outcomes.In our discussion, we talk about:Professor Elke Weber: https://psych.princeton.edu/people/elke-weberProfessor Sam Peltzman: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/emeriti/sam-peltzman The Peltzman Effect: https://tradestops.com/blog/the-peltzman-effect-how-safety-perception-increases-risk/ (Original paper here:https://www.jstor.org/stable/1830396)The impact of rewards on intrinsic motivation in children: https://bingschool.stanford.edu/news/mark-lepper-intrinsic-motivation-extrinsic-motivation-and-process-learningTo connect with Bruce: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-rigal-6799a545/For more on my book 'Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance' and to read the first few chapters for free: www.humanizingrules.com

How can we be more in the moment in meetings, conversations and presentations? On this episode, I'm speaking to communications expert and comedian Neil Mullarkey.In his new book 'In The Moment', Neil explores how we can use the ideas that underpin improv comedy to improve our confidence, communication and creativity. In our discussion, we explore: how Neil came to work in Improv Comedy, how Mike Myers inspired his career and why he enjoys improvisation;how that translates into working in business to build creativity;the need for structures such as rules, methodologies and processes in order for creativity to be able to flourish;the difference between Newtonian and Darwinian dynamics in the workplace;lessons from the pandemic about working practices;And so much more...To find out more about:Neil: https://neilmullarkey.com/In The Moment: https://neilmullarkey.com/inthemomentbookThe Comedy Store Players: https://comedystoreplayers.com/For more on my new book, 'Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behaviorual Science to Ethics & Compliance' and read the first few chapters for free: www.humanizing.rules.comIf you enjoyed this episode, then I also recommend listening to this episode where I spoke with comedy writer Paul Dornan: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/paul-dornan-on-being-truly-funny/

Behavioral Science gurus Paul Craven, Rory Sutherland, and Gerald Ashley discuss a range of fascinating topics in this podcast. They explore addictive substances, the impact of bus details, airline upgrade policies, and the value of higher education. They also delve into the certainty of beliefs and contradicting evidence, the left and right brain, the rise and fall of civilizations, the value of YouTube, and appreciation for the Seekers band in a world-famous music studio.

Behavioural Science gurus Rory Sutherland, Gerald Ashley, and Paul Craven explore the influence of individuals on trends and the adoption of new technologies. They discuss super-spreaders, the impact of fashion icons, and the challenges faced by electric vehicles. The speakers also reflect on government decisions during the pandemic, perceptions of monarchy, and the importance of owning a phrase in marketing.

What happens when you bring three behavioural science gurus into a world-famous recording studio? Find out on three special episodes of the Human Risk podcast.Rory Sutherland, Gerald Ashley and Paul Craven have all been on the show before (links below), both individually and as duets. As the show approaches its 250th episode, I thought I’d invite them all back together for a recording session in Abbey Road Studios. For this first of three episodes, I asked Rory, Gerald and Paul a question that was inspired by our location: what makes things a hit? Why do some things go viral and others don’t? What emerged was a wide-ranging conversation that explored:why predicting hits is unpredictable;how bubbles can have positive outcomes;the role that emergence and chance play in driving innovation;how trends evolve over time;the role that labelling and branding play in determining what we like and don't;how fashions and preferences change over time;and much, much more...If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more:Rory on his own talking about ‘Compliance’: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/rory-sutherland-on-compliance/Gerald on his own talking about ‘Uncertainty’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/gerald-ashley-on-uncertainty/Paul on his own talking about ‘Magic, Money & The Mind’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/paul-craven-on-magic-money/Rory and Gerald Part One talking about ‘Networks’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/rory-sutherland-gerald-ashley/Rory and Gerald Part Two talking about ‘Prosilience’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/gerald-ashley-rory-sutherland/Paul and Gerald Part One ‘Statistics, Spreadsheets & Scams’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/gerald-ashley-paul-craven/Paul and Gerald Part Two ‘Context, Consequences & Changeability’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/paul-craven-gerald-ashley/Rory and Paul Part One ‘Alchemy & Magic’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/rory-sutherland-paul-craven-on-alchemy-magic/Rory and Paul Part Two ‘Magic & Alchemy’ - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/paul-craven-rory-sutherland-on-magic-alchemy/

How do we know that laws and rules are effective? On this episode, I'm returning to the field of Behavioural Law. It's something I've explored in previous episodes with academics (links below), but this time I'm joined by a practitioner who works in a law firm and whose job is to think about the behavioural dynamics of law.The idea behind Behavioural Law is that since we right laws and rules in order to influence human behaviour, it makes sense to explore whether or not the laws and rules have the desired effect. Because if they don’t, then what’s the point in having them? And if we’ve got ineffective laws, then we’re not mitigating human risk.My guest is Nitish Upadhyaya, who is a behavioural scientist who is also a lawyer. He works for Ropes & Gray, a law firm that has a behavioural insights laboratory which explores the intersection of behavioural science and law. To find out more about:Nitish - https://www.ropesgray.com/en/biographies/u/nitish-upadhyayaHis work at R&G Insights Lab - https://www.ropesgray.com/en/RGInsightsLabThe R&G ‘Better Way?’ Podcast - https://www.ropesgray.com/en/rginsightslab/better-wayTo learn more about and read sample chapters from my book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ - www.humanizingrules.comPrevious episodes of the show on Behavioural Law include:Professor Yuval Feldman on why we should write rules for good people not bad peopleProfessor J S Nelson on What Everyone Needs To Know About Business EthicsProfessor Yuval Feldman on Trust & Voluntary ComplianceProfessor Benjamin van Rooij on COVID ComplianceProfessor Benjamin van Rooij on The Behavioural CodeProfessors Benjamin van Rooij & Danny Sokol on Compliance 2.0Professors Melissa Rorie & Benjamin van Rooij on Measuring Compliance

Why does a two-letter word ('no') often cause us huge amounts of problems? After all, it's easy to say… except when it isn’t. We’ve all found ourselves in situations where we’ve wanted to say 'no' but, for some reason, haven’t been able to do so.From a human risk perspective, it's not hard to see how finding it hard to say 'no', can crystallise human risk; it can lead to people doing things they aren’t qualified to do, don’t feel morally right about doing or simply don’t want to.So, how can we put as much emphasis on ‘just say no’ as ‘yes we can’?The answer comes courtesy of my guest Dr Vanessa Patrick who has just published a book called 'The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life'Vanessa is the Associate Dean for Research, Executive Director of Doctoral Programs (PhD and DBA), a Bauer Professor of Marketing and lead faculty of the Executive Women in Leadership Program at the Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston.In our dsiucssion, Vanessa explains the concept of 'empowered refusal', a skill that helps us say no in a way that does not invite pushback from others. She also highlightst why saying no is difficult because society expects us to say yes. Three factors that affect our ability to say no are concern for relationships, concern for reputation, and lack of practice in saying no.Key points from our discussion:Why the ability to say no is a skill worth developing and can be done by identifying what matters to us and what is a good use of our time;How good work is excellent, engaging, and ethical, and we should focus on tasks that fall within this framework;Vanessa refers to difficult people who refuse to take no for an answer as Walnut Trees; hear why and how we can develop strategies to handle them;Surrounding ourselves with positive and nurturing people, or what Vanessa calls marigolds, is important for our well-being; andRecognizing and managing our interactions with others can help us prioritize our time and focus on relationships that bring us joy.To find out more about Vanessa, her research and her book, visit her website:https://www.vanessapatrick.net/Listeners too young to know what a fax machine is, can find out here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaxFor more on my book 'Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance' and to read the first few chapters for free visit www.humanizingrules.comTo hear previous episodes you might have missed visit www.humanriskpodcast.com

What does it mean to be truly funny? We often associate the word ‘funny’ with comedy and making people laugh. But it can also mean being witty, incisive ironic, playful, teasing, or delivering little moments of truth. On this episode, I’m speaking to comedy writer Paul Dornan, whose new company, True Funny, helps people discover what makes them funny — in the loosest sense of the word — and how they can maximise that in the way they present themselves. Not to make them artificially funny in an [inster funny joke here] type way, but naturally and authentically.In our discussion, we explored how Paul came to become a comedy writer, working with comedy legend Barry Humphries. He explains how comedy was an inherent part of his family and how that led him to his career. We explore what makes comedy work and why being funny is all about being human.Paul shares some of his thoughts about how being more authentic can make us more engaging and how the increasing power of cognitive technology means we all need to be more human.To find out more about Paul and his company, True Funny: https://truefunny.co.uk/During our discussion, Paul referred to a number of comedians and comedy shows:Barry Humphries and Barry’s comedy alter ego Dame Edna Everage: https://www.dame-edna.com/A clip that Paul referred to where Dame Edna speaks to former UK Prime Minister Ted Heath. Read this explanation first https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pauldornan_truefunny-activity-7055216788594151424-DmtU?and then watch the clip here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pauldornan_this-is-the-dame-ednated-heath-clip-in-all-activity-7055218623996424192-0UOo?The Cambridge Footlights: https://www.cambridgefootlights.org/Monty Python: https://www.montypython.com/Peter Cook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cook/Jonathan Coleman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Coleman_(presenter)Jimmy Carr: https://www.jimmycarr.com/Del Boy, a character from the TV show ‘Only Fools & Horses’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_BoyRicky Gervais, the creator of the TV series ‘The Office’: https://www.rickygervais.com/Mrs Brown’s Boys; https://www.mrsbrownsboys.com/