18 out of 19: How Behavioral Science Nailed It in COVID Policymaking

Social Distancing Concept

A study led by Kai Ruggeri at Columbia University, with over 80 collaborators, highlights the importance of behavioral sciences in policy decisions, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study revisits and validates the recommendations of a highly influential 2020 paper by Jay Van Bavel and Robb Willer, which influenced global pandemic policies. It emphasizes the need for robust evidence in policymaking, identifies gaps in the original paper, and suggests improvements for future crisis responses.

A global study validates the significant role of behavioral sciences in highly influential paper with 19 policy recommendations around COVID-19 based on insights from the behavioral sciences. The paper was a large collaboration of over 40 experts, led by Jay Van Bavel of

Evaluating the Evidence for Public Policy

“Governments around the world formulated pandemic policy strategies explicitly on the basis of the behavioral concepts highlighted in the 2020 paper by Jay J. Van Bavel et al.,” says Ruggeri, a professor health policy and management at DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06840-9

Author: Health Watch Minute

Health Watch Minute Provides the latest health information, from around the globe.