Editors’ Note

Abstract

v Welcome to the second issue of Behavioral Science & Policy (BSP). We are pleased to present eight articles that extend the reach of behavioral science research across a wide range of policy applications. Some articles focus on everyday individual activities such as debt repayment and paying government vehicle fees online. Others examine ambitious social policy objectives such as strengthening families and reducing bias in criminal justice systems. Still others speak to global challenges such as curtailing the recruitment of extremist militants and how to better communicate the uncertainty surrounding topics including climate science and intelligence forecasts. The initial three articles in this issue remind us that public and private sector policies are often most effective when organizations identify and address the unique needs of individuals. The first investigates an important and timely question: When are immigrants vulnerable to recruitment by ideological radicals? Lyons-Padilla, Gelfand, Mirahmadi, Farooq, and Van Egmond report a fascinating survey of immigrant Muslims in the United States. These authors found that such immigrants tend to feel marginalized if they do not identify with either their culture of origin or the society in which they live. When these marginalized immigrants then experience discrimination, they tend to be more attracted to radical groups than are immigrants who have found or retained a sense of cultural identity. Lavner, Karney, and Bradbury take on the critical question of how federal programs can most effectively promote healthy marriages among couples with low incomes. After taking stock of three large-scale field interventions, the authors suggest that a commonly used singular focus on education is unlikely to be effective. Instead, new initiatives should also address the challenging economic constraints that the couples face, which can put significant stress on relationships. Finally, Karlan, Morten, and Zinman present the findings of a study run in the Philippines—the text messaging capital of the world—that encouraged timely repayment of debts using texted reminders. Their results suggest that the personal connections in these seemingly impersonal financial transactions are of critical importance. Specifically, a personal message from a loan officer can be especially effective, but only when the borrower knows the loan officer through prior borrowing. editors’ note