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The psychology and policy of overcoming economic inequality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2023

Kai Ruggeri Open the ORCID record for Kai Ruggeri [Opens in a new window] ,
Olivia Symone Tutuska ,
Giampaolo Abate Romero Ladini ,
Narjes Al-Zahli ,
Natalia Alexander ,
Mathias Houe Andersen ,
Katherine Bibilouri ,
Jennifer Chen ,
Barbora Doubravová  and
Tatianna Dugué
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Kai Ruggeri
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA kai.ruggeri@columbia.edu; https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/people/our-faculty/dr2946 Policy Research Group, Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Olivia Symone Tutuska
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Giampaolo Abate Romero Ladini
Affiliation:
Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Narjes Al-Zahli
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Natalia Alexander
Affiliation:
Department of Conflict Resolution, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Mathias Houe Andersen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Katherine Bibilouri
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Jennifer Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Barbora Doubravová
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Tatianna Dugué
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Aleena Asfa Durrani
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA kai.ruggeri@columbia.edu; https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/people/our-faculty/dr2946
Nicholas Dutra
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
R. A. Farrokhnia
Affiliation:
Columbia University Business School, New York, NY, USA
Tomas Folke
Affiliation:
Policy Research Group, Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Suwen Ge
Affiliation:
Columbia University Business School, New York, NY, USA
Christian Gomes
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Aleksandra Gracheva
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Department of Political Science, Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), Paris, France
Neža Grilc
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
Deniz Mısra Gürol
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
Zoe Heidenry
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Clara Hu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Rachel Krasner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Romy Levin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Justine Li
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Ashleigh Marie Elizabeth Messenger
Affiliation:
Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Fredrik Nilsson
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
Julia Marie Oberschulte
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
Takashi Obi
Affiliation:
Department of Public Administration, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Anastasia Pan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Sun Young Park
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Sofia Pelica
Affiliation:
Psicologia Social e das Organizações, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal
Maksymilian Pyrkowski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland
Katherinne Rabanal
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Pika Ranc
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Žiga Mekiš Recek
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Daria Stefania Pascu
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Alexandra Symeonidou
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
Milica Vdovic
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia
Qihang Yuan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Eduardo Garcia-Garzon
Affiliation:
School of Education and Health Sciences, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
Sarah Ashcroft-Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Abstract

Recent arguments claim that behavioral science has focused – to its detriment – on the individual over the system when construing behavioral interventions. In this commentary, we argue that tackling economic inequality using both framings in tandem is invaluable. By studying individuals who have overcome inequality, “positive deviants,” and the system limitations they navigate, we offer potentially greater policy solutions.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e174
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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