spotlights & events

bspa hosts a range of annual events aimed at fostering networking within the behavioral science and policy communities. Spotlight workshops bring policymakers, practitioners and scientists together to brainstorm various research ‘best-practices’ and topic areas

BSPA Annual Conference

May 6 & 7: Bridging divides & changing minds with behavioral science

*In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 BSPA Conference is going virtual.* Building on our extremely successful virtual conference in 2020, we have worked hard to ensure that the 2021 experience will once again be invaluable for both participants and presenters.

Join leading behavioral scientists, executives, policymakers and journalists at our annual Conference to explore the latest insights from applied behavioral sciences research for addressing social challenges.

Speakers include: Nobel Laureates Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler, Hunt Allcott, Max Bazerman, Kevin Brilliant, David Brooks, Robert Cialdini, Matthew Clark, General Martin Dempsey, Angela Duckworth, Francis Fukuyama, Sue Gordon, Adam Grant, Crystal Hall, Morela Hernandez, Arlie Hochschild, Dean Karlan, Leidy Klotz, Elizabeth Kim, Margaret Levi, Robert Livingston, Katy Milkman, Christopher Nave, Evan Nesterak, Dave Nussbaum, Jeffrey Pfeffer, Michael Podhorzer, Anita Ravishankar, Ashleigh Rosette, Neela Saldanha, Sim Sitkin, Chiara Varazzani, Shankar Vedantam, Robb Willer, David Yokum, Scott Young and many more.

Learn more and register here

Spotlight Workshops

Our Spotlight workshops bring policymakers, practitioners and scientists together to brainstorm various research ‘best-practices’ and topic areas in a local setting. Topics such as energy, pre-K education, health and financial decision making can drive the agenda; alternatively, these working groups can coalesce around local government priorities in order to facilitate actionable insights being put into practice on a state or municipal level.

Does your research institution have a pressing research priority that would welcome a behavioral science lens? We can help! BSPA convenes ‘spotlight’ sessions where we help support your agenda while providing a vehicle for publication.
Whether in the public sector or a government division, we welcome the opportunity to partner. Let us know what spotlights you are interested in pursuing and together we can help support your agenda

From the private sector and interested in co-hosting a spotlight workshop with us? Get in touch! We’re always interested in a fresh perspective on issues that you care about, as you seek to develop a behavioral science capability in your organization

Want to set a research agenda for behavioral science? Send us ideas for partnership to [email protected]!

Have an idea for a spotlight proposal? Download our RFP to find out more about our work in this space!

Upcoming spotlights include ‘Safe Driving’ with the University of Kansas, and Health Equity with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Have a research interest in either of these topics? Let us know so that we can be sure to include you in the invitation and call for papers

Event Highlights

Become a Member

There is a growing movement among public and private sector leaders to help bridge the divide between behavioral research and policy. We are a key part of this movement — as an information hub and as a community builder, fostering collaboration and connecting those applying behavioral science to specific problems for the greater good. We need you to join us in making this effort have a lasting impact.

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