1. Behavioral Economics in Child Support Kim Newsom Bridges, E xecutive Director Ohio CSEA Directors’ Association Susan Brown, Director Franklin County CSEA Deb Ortiz-Flores, Director Lucas County Ohio JFS ERICSA 50 th Annual Training Conference & Exposition ▪ May 19 – 23 ▪ Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, Florida

4. WHO ARE OUR CLIENTS? WHY DO THEY BELIEVE AS THEY DO? WHY DO THEY ACT AS THEY DO? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THEIR POSITION THAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND?

5. BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS The Cutting Edge in Human Service Delivery What is Behavioral Economics? Emerging evidence from the behavioral sciences and behavioral economics offers us an understanding of human behavior and decision-making. Traditional economics unrealistically assumes people make choices in a rational manner based on self-interest. In actuality, an intricate web of social, psychological and economic factors affects individuals decisions. Behavioral Economics is like the flashlight in the dark for understanding human behavior.

6. BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS – The Power to Influence Positive Human Behavior Behavioral Economics takes customer input, such as attitudes, perceived values, beliefs and norms and uses that information to increase the likelihood of successful outcomes. Behavioral Economics can be applied to many areas, in many ways. For example, messages can be framed differently to focus on certain populations, social norms can be applied to influence a customer’s decision to engage in programming that will help their family.

7. BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS Strategies: By understanding the prospective (or belief system) of each client or target population an organization can nudge their clients towards decisions that make their lives better. A nudge is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options. -Putting the preferred option at eye level – the considered display of fruit in a school cafeteria, but not banning junk food. -Putting the preferable choice first on a list of options - (political ballots)

12. Psychologies of Decision

13. Do they see what you see?

14. Do they value what you value?

15. Are they choosing what or how you think they are?

17. Psychology of Scarcity

20. See the Handouts Examples of Psychology of Action and Decision and possible interventions

21. Other Examples: Use of Defaults: If you fail to choose, your default is the most beneficial choice (for the busy, absent-minded or overwhelmed). Marketing to the Target Group – understand the culture (ie: sense of community vs. sense of self)

22. Lucas County Young Fathers Program Why was the program developed? What are the key elements of the program? What have been the results? How Behavioral Economics has come into play in the success of this program.

23. Franklin County BIAS Project The process Current Status What are we looking for in the results?

24. Use of the concepts in general How do we infiltrate the normal thinking of child support staff? How do we infiltrate the process improvement of child support management? Will it make a difference?

25. Susan Brown, Director CSEA, Franklin County – E-mail browns01@odjfs.state.oh.usbrowns01@odjfs.state.oh.us – Phone 614-525-6030 Deb Ortiz-Flores, Director JFS, Lucas County – Email ortizd@odjfs.state.oh.usortizd@odjfs.state.oh.us – Phone 419-297-9115 Kim Newsom Bridges, Director OCDA – E-mail kim@ocda.uskim@ocda.us – Phone 614-846-6652 Contact Information