Julian Jamison, Professor of Economics at the University of Exeter and former behavioral economist at the World Bank and CFPB, discusses the psychology behind nudges and their hidden costs. He talks about measuring behavioral obstacles, practical challenges in applying behavioral science in institutions, and why specialization and rigorous measurement matter. Short, sharp conversations on policy, research choices, and integrating behavioral tools into practice.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Working Inside The World Bank
Julian Jamison describes joining the World Bank behavioral unit to consult with operational teams and governments.
He framed the unit as an internal consulting team that both solved problems and produced public-good learning for the Bank.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Cameroon LARC Study Combines Stigma And Price
Julian recounts a World Bank project in Cameroon testing take-up of long-acting reversible contraceptives among young women.
He highlights mixing behavioral factors like stigma with price and subsidy effects in the trial design.
insights INSIGHT
Nudges Work Because They Impose Costs
Jamison defines nudging as small, deliberate changes that predictably shift average outcomes.
He warns nudges almost always impose some psychological cost, which explains why they work.
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In today’s episode, we are joined by Julian Jamison, a professor of Economics at the University of Exeter and an affiliate at the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and Jameel Abdul Latif Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). Prior to this, Julian spent 9 years in the public sector working for the United States government as Section Chief of the Decision-making and Behavioral Studies group and as a Behavioral Economist for the Global INsights Initiative at the World Bank (now known as the Mind, Behavior and Development Unit, or eMBeD).
Julian holds a B.S and M.S in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Game Theory from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His academic work focuses on the interaction between individual preferences, decisions, and well-being, and on institutional policies, including explicit welfare tradeoffs. He uses a wide range of methodological approaches, including mathematical theory, lab and field experiments, formal rhetoric, surveys, and large administrative data analytics. Julian’s work has been featured by The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Forbes, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and The Economist.
In this episode, we discuss:
Julian’s experience working as a behavioral scientist at the World Bank eMBeD unit.
Working in academia and working in industry: pros, cons and lessons.
The need to distinguish between behavioral obstacles and behaviorally-informed interventions
How the fear of ambiguity makes behavioral science more challenging to adopt within organizations.
Why measurement tools are critical in any study.
Why the behavioral science we of our decade is different from what has been studied before
Julian’s hope for the future of behavioral science: Integrated into our approaches in a way that is complementary rather than a separate field
The Decision Corner