bspa this week (1.03.17)

Why 2016 was actually one of the best years on record

In a Washington Post op-ed, Annie Duflo and Jeffrey Mosenkis from Innovations for Poverty Action argue that 2016 was a great year for “humanity as a whole”. They celebrate four evidence-based lessons learned this year to lift people out of poverty, reduce child mortality, and increase woman-owned businesses.
France introduces opt-out policy on organ donation

A new policy came into effect this year making all French citizens organ donors unless they join a “refusal register”. It’s not clear that it’s the most effective solution though.
Post-Holidays Eating and Exercising

In honor of the new year, here is some advice for holiday eating from Pierre Chandon based on his research with Brian Wansink about what to do about those leftovers, and a couple oldies but goodies: how to make yourself go to the gym and how to employ temptation bundling.
How a Simple Sticker Can Nudge Residents Into Compliance

A Duke student project in North Carolina found that a visual cue on trash bins increased efficiency of trash pickup, thereby saving city resources. And they made a video about it.

In Other News...

For many, appearing busy has become a new social norm. https://t.co/FX5H27hWRE

— ideas42 (@ideas42) December 30, 2016
The best movies of 2016 (for a behavioral economist) - and the staggering Isabelle Huppert steals the show. #Becons https://t.co/Hu2BZbUoGN

— Cass Sunstein (@CassSunstein) December 29, 2016
Can an app change human behavior? This behavioral economics professor is banking on it https://t.co/OnYGs4UW84 via @mashable

— Dan Ariely (@danariely) January 1, 2017
10 behavioral science principles for great digital creative by @peterminnium https://t.co/HCR63IxsFx

— Marketing Land (@Marketingland) December 31, 2016
Author Michael Lewis, the man behind ‘Moneyball,’ has a new book that explores the genesis of behavioral economics: https://t.co/Hvgr368exY

— Here & Now (@hereandnow) December 28, 2016