An ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will review the evidence regarding the application of insights from behavioral economics to key public policy objectives (e.g., related to public health, multiple areas of chronic illness [including mental health and HIV], economic well-being, responses to global climate change). The committee will examine applications from the past 5 to 10 years (including available evidence on U.S. federal and state policy applications as well as international examples) to identify features of successful applications (including progress in methods for assessing outcomes of behavioral interventions), and also less successful applications that may offer valuable lessons. The committee will also examine main controversies that have arisen as field has progressed, particularly with regard to intersections with related disciplines including cognitive psychology, social psychology, and the decision sciences.
The committee will provide conclusions and recommendations regarding 1) guiding principles for applying behavioral economics research to policy; and 2) a research program to support future progress, including possible avenues for collaboration across disciplines that could advance theory and method. The committee will consider ethical issues related to the application, of behavioral economics, for example in health, political influence efforts, or commercial marketing.