Mind, Society, and Behavior: Human Decision Making and Development Policy

Each policy presents some assumptions about human behavior and the underlying principle for today's policy making approaches is the assumption that human behavior emerges from rational choice. Therefore, the approaches which rely on this attitude focus on changing costs and benefits in individuals' actions However, recent decades have seen serious doubts concerning rational choice as a result of the research conducted into decision making processes. The new policies rely on a more realistic understanding of people's thoughts and behavior. The perception and utilization of recent findings about human decision making influence the design of effective public policies in the countries around the world. They provide a framework based on three principles of thinking automatically, thinking socially and thinking with mental models. This framework is derived from societies and the history which people share. The implementation of policies and interventions made upon these principles lead to the activation of appropriate mental patterns and, consequently, better outcomes.