Urban planning lecturer Stephen Commins in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs was part of a team of researchers that wrote the World Bank’s new World Development Report for 2015, "Mind, Society and Behavior," published on Dec. 4. The report focuses on understanding human behavior for economic development, psychological and social perspectives on policy. It aims to capture how the processes of the mind and the influence of society can improve implementation of development policies and interventions that target behavior.
Commins is also the associate director of Global Public Affairs, which addresses problems and processes of global public affairs through teaching, research and partnerships and offers preparation for students seeking international careers.
The goal of the report is to integrate findings into policy-making and practice, and make them available for systemic use by organizations and professional staff working in diverse countries and communities. The findings apply both to these professionals as well to individuals in developing countries.
Commins' role is to bridge the gap between the external audience and authors. He does this by managing events with professionals and government officials around the world in order to discuss the report's main ideas.
A full version of this story can be viewed on the UCLA Luskin website.