Policymakers and administrators are increasingly using evidence about human behavior to improve the design of social services. People — who often rely on intuition instead of reason, make inconsistent choices over time, and can be overloaded by information — are the clients who receive services, the staff who provide them, and the policymakers who create them. Behavioral science demonstrates that even small hassles can create significant barriers that prevent those in need of services from receiving them.

The Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) is a new initiative that combines MDRC’s expertise in social programs with insights from behavioral science. Projects that are affiliated with CABS develop innovative, low-cost interventions to improve the effectiveness of social and education programs and the experiences of the families and individuals receiving these services. Interventions are based on research from behavioral science, including behavioral economics, social psychology, cognitive psychology, and organizational behavior. Problems tackled by the Center address relevant policies in human services programs, educational settings, and employment training programs.

Many projects under CABS are evaluated using rigorous research methods that include random assignment. Several cases include rapid-cycle evaluation, where initial analyses of findings from one round of testing quickly informs a next round of experimentation. The Center also provides agencies with advice and technical assistance to build better programs and design effective interventions, as well as providing knowledge-building and educational trainings to practitioners to apply techniques to their current and future initiatives.

Projects in CABS are supported by a variety of public and private funders, including the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and the Office of Child Support Enforcement, both part of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; NYC Center for Economic Opportunity;  W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and the Robin Hood Foundation.