Social Sciences & Behavioral Nudges

Our research uses tools, such as behavioral nudges, to influence the behavior and decision-making of groups or individuals through positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions.

Understanding how choice architecture, social cues, and framing effects influence behavior has recently become a shared aim of academics, businesses, and governments, working to promote social welfare. For example, behavioral tools have proven successful at increasing voter turnout, encouraging policy compliance, and adopting best practice health behavior.

In the lab, we study how technology paired with social science insights can be used to “nudge” individuals and groups toward more socially beneficial behaviors — in educational apps, on social media platforms, and in online markets. Using flexible approaches for research design and analysis built on machine learning methods, we bring new insights to pressing research questions from across the social sciences. Our lab also develops public-facing tools for researchers to learn about and apply these methods, and collaborates with social scientists in academia, industry, and government.

Project Abstracts

Read about a few of the research projects the lab is currently working on.

Academic Publications

Publication Search
Journal Article

On Synthetic Difference-in-Differences and Related Estimation Methods in Stata

Damian Clarke, Daniel Pailañir, Susan Athey, Guido W. Imbens
The Stata Journal: Promoting Communications on Statistics and Stata December2024
Working Paper

Service Quality in the Gig Economy: Empirical Evidence about Driving Quality at Uber

Susan Athey, Juan Camilo Castillo, Bharat Chandar
September2024
Working Paper

The Value of Non-traditional Credentials in the Labor Market

Susan Athey, Emil Palikot
April2024
Journal Article

Battling the Coronavirus ‘Infodemic’ among Social Media Users in Kenya and Nigeria

Molly Offer-Westort, Leah R. Rosenzweig, Susan Athey
Nature Human Behaviour March2024

Interviews & Thought Leadership

Learn firsthand from researchers and practitioners associated with the lab.

Stanford MBA student Marta Milkowska has followed an unusual path that established her credentials as one of her generation’s leading innovators in economic development.

Laitin, managing director of new ventures at ideas42, is using insights from behavioral science to improve lives, build better systems and policies, and drive social change.