Discovering behavioural insights for social impact

Lab Notes - June edition

The June edition of Lab Notes brings together inspiring articles, reports, events and other content for public sector and social innovators around the world, including a new tool to explore tested policy solutions using behavioural science, New Zealand's recently announced Lab+ programme, 'development mutants', and more ...

This month's key lab picks

1. Check out the Behavioral Evidence Hub (B-Hub), a curated collection of rigorously tested policy solutions using behavioural science.

2. Next Billion describes how a project to introduce solar technology, combined with community distribution models, could help improve incomes in rural Tanzania.

3. The Malaysian Government has launched a new ‘pay-for-outcomes’ fund designed to make it easier for high potential social enterprises and other social purpose organisations to obtain funding.

4. This Stanford Social Innovation Review article tackles confusion over the value of RCTs, arguing that rigorous impact evaluations tell us a lot about the world, not just the particular contexts in which they are conducted.

5. New Zealand’s Lab+ programme aims to provide data, content, transaction services and business rules to improve service delivery, while creating a platform for others to build on top. Read the introductory blog and the full draft work plan.

6. Assessing the extent and impact of open government: see the country rankings in Open Knowledge International’s latest edition of the Global Open Data Index, and in the World Wide Web Foundation's Open Data Barometer.

7. On current trajectories, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and The Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit have just launched a $2 million Innovation Prize to help keep plastic out the ocean.

8. Made with Creative Commons is a new free book which describes how creators, organisations and businesses can make a sustainable living while using creative commons licenses.

9. This interview with Giulio Quaggiotto profiles the new generation of ‘development mutants’ - the new players changing the aid landscape by uncovering locally relevant and, at times, counterintuitive solutions.

10. Discover how a London borough adopted a data-led approach to policymaking when developing its gambling licensing policy, in this UK Authority blog.

11. Tony Roberts provides a more cautious approach to digital democracy, describing five steps that designers of development projects should take to avoid marginalising intended participants.

12. A new report from Nesta, the State of São Paulo and the UK government explores global case studies and methods in opening up health innovation. Read the report and browse the six case studies.

Author

Sophie Reynolds

Sophie Reynolds

Sophie Reynolds

Former Senior Researcher - Public and Social Innovation

Sophie was a Senior Researcher in Nesta’s Policy and Research unit. She is now Director of Sophie Reynolds Research & Consultancy.

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Theo Bass

Theo Bass

Theo Bass

Senior Researcher, Government Innovation

Theo was a Senior Researcher in Nesta's Research, Analysis and Policy Team

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