Featured Initiative

Improve lives through behavioural insights

Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman works directly with businesses and policy makers to guide better decisions.

Tall Bay Street skyscrapers loom overhead, with their tops lost in fog.

A business complies with environmental regulations that help fight climate change. An individual decides to get a COVID-19 vaccine, easing strain on their community’s health-care system. The everyday behaviours of companies and people have a massive impact on our world—but it’s not always easy to guide them to the best choices. Even the greatest products and policies can be hampered by complicated processes or confusing messaging.

So many researchers produce amazing insights that sadly never end up getting used outside the academy. That’s why we work directly with organizations to ensure they can actually put BEAR’s findings into action. These easy-to-apply insights in turn help people worldwide make the best decisions for themselves.

Dilip Soman, Director, Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman

Behavioural Economics in Action at the Rotman School of Management (BEAR) conducts leading-edge research in behavioural economics to help organizations design better products, services, and programs that preserve freedom of choice while guiding people toward better decisions. BEAR takes a unique, collaborative approach to research, working directly with businesses and policy-makers to design practical, actionable solutions that can help people worldwide.

BEAR has already helped organizations achieve goals as diverse as raising Ontario’s organ donation rates to improving pension contributions in Mexico and helping financial advisors ensure their clients stay on track with their objectives. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how desperately people need accurate information presented clearly to make the right decisions. With your support, BEAR can accelerate its transformation of the business of behaviour change and positively impact the lives of even more people through its unparalleled approach to research co-creation.

To learn more about how you can support behavioural economics research, please contact the Senior Development Associate at the Rotman School of Management.

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