The Best-Laid Backup Plans...

Having a safety net can make us less motivated to achieve our primary goals – like, for example, preventing our boats from sinking.  This episode of NPR Hidden Brain features research by Professor Katherine Milkman on a potential downside of backup plans.

November 10, 2015
-National Public Radio (Hidden Brain)

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Katherine Milkman
Why Peer Pressure Doesn't Add Up To Retirement Savings

People often do what their neighbors do. A firm decided to get more people to sign up for retirement plans by telling employees how many of their coworkers had signed up. What happened next? Professor Katherine Milkman discusses her and her colleagues’ research on retirement savings in this episode of NPR Hidden Brain.

July 31, 2015
-National Public Radio (Hidden Brain)

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Katherine Milkman
Nudge Theory at Work

People do not always make the best decisions at work. Nudge theory attempts to give people little cues and prompts to nudge them into making the best choices for all concerned in areas of public policy, marketing and communications.

May 31, 2015
-CBC News

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Katherine Milkman
Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom

Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to a new study. Previous research by the same author with Katherine Milkman of Wharton, found that female attorneys are more likely to rise through the ranks of a firm (and less likely to leave) when they have female partners as mentors and role models.

May 15, 2015
-Forbes

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Katherine Milkman
Leaders as Decision Architects

This article describes how we can alter the environment in which decisions are made so that people are more likely to make choices that lead to good outcomes, referencing research by Professor Katherine Milkman, among others.

May 2015
-Harvard Business Review

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Katherine Milkman
Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?

In this episode, you’ll hear a Freakonomics Radio producer embark on a long and tortuous process to live his life like homo economicus. Is this even possible? If so, is it desirable? Even if it’s better for an individual, is it good for society?  This episode draws on the wisdom of Professor Katherine Milkman, among others.

May 4, 2015
-Freakonomics

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Katherine Milkman
Faculty Prefer Women for Tenure-Track STEM Positions

New study shows that faculty members overall preferred female candidates for assistant professorships in STEM fields.  Another study by Katherine Milkman of the University of Pennsylvania, however, found that faculty members responded more frequently to white males seeking advice than other students.

April 13, 2015
-U.S. News & World Report

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Katherine Milkman