BERI Launch Workshop

On June 5, 2013 the Behavioral Economics in Reproductive health Initiative (BERI) held a launch workshop in Washington, DC with 12 leading providers of reproductive health and family planning services throughout the world. BERI is a research program identifying novel social and economic strategies to help individuals, households, and communities in Sub-Saharan Africa achieve their ideal reproductive outcomes. The initiative is founded on the recognition that despite availability of reproductive health and family planning services in most developing countries, low-income and marginalized individuals often are unable to achieve their desired reproductive outcomes.

The objective of the launch workshop was to convene some of the world’s leading practitioners in the reproductive health space. to identify pressing behavioral challenges and emerging innovative solutions. The workshop featured an introduction to behavioral economics by CEGA Executive Director Temina Madon, followed by Harvard Business School Professor Nava Ashraf describing on-going research in Zambia that applies behavioral economics to reproductive health research. The presentations were book-ended by open roundtable discussions of emerging research questions from the field. The workshop will contribute to the framing of BERI’s research agenda and the recruitment of new research partners.