In this blog Ros Taylor, author of “The Future of Trust” highlights the complex causes of distrust. Causes that can be invisible to those who interactions with the state may be occasionally frustrating rather than existential. Modern society requires large amounts of institutional trust in order to function. Policymakers need to understand and engage with the causes of distrust. … More The Future of Trust
Social networks matter to careers and other life chances. Presenting at conferences is an opportunity for new network benefits. What if some presenters, however, are simply remembered less, not because of what they present, but because of their gender or race? Is there systematic bias in memory? In. this blog Michèle Belot and Marina Schröder report on two experiments on memory bias … More Memory Bias and Social Networks
The history of civilisation is really the story of how we leaned to trust. In this blog Ben Ho considers research showing how fear brings people together and builds trust of outsiders. Through experiments in South Korea during the Covid pandemic it was possible to record feelings of fear and acceptance of outsiders. Those with the most fear recorded the highest increases in trust. How we respond to fear can give us hope for the future. … More Why Trust Matters
Algorithms provide a good starting point for police reform, but not a panacea. When screening candidates for the police force of the future, for example, auditing for bias is not only helpful, it’s essential. Algorithms offer new possibilities to do this. Going beyond hiring decisions, data and behavioral science can be used to encourage people to be their best self. Even small details amongst environmental influences on behavior can make a difference. Properly regulated and scrutinised algorithms can help improve recruitment, retention and promotion. They can also help strengthen law enforcement itself and community engagement in policing, to everyone’s benefit. … More Reimagining Policing
Is it really harder to be a woman in politics? In a blog based on her new book “The Gendered Qualifications Gap” Nichole Bauer reports on research into the effects of stereotypes of political leadership on voter decisions. The evidence suggests that even when women are rated as being higher skilled than their male competitors this does not translate into votes. … More The Gendered Qualifications Gap