Over the past month, the focus in India has been on one particular kind of human behavior: voting. What would India decide? Now that the votes are counted and a new Indian government  embarks on the journey of the next term, India might benefit from turning its attention to other kinds of human behavior. Understanding human behavior through behavioral research might be an effective way for the new administration to strengthen its delivery on, for example, health, digitalisation or financial inclusion. Here are three ways to put humans and their behavior center-stage for the benefit of all. 

When diagnosing a problem, think human behavior…and human behavior in a system

A behavioral perspective often emphasizes a focus on the individual. But nobody acts alone: individual actions have consequences that lead to other actions and may sometimes feed back into the original behavior. This is how a system emerges. Ignoring the system will mean that any attempts to change behavior towards improving health, for example, will likely encounter the staying power of the system. Solutions can be improved when they are designed with impact over the full ecosystem in mind-–in other words, the ‘system’–instead of isolating individual-level behavior.

In a system, individuals depend on each other and their relationships sustain the system.^[1] Once you start thinking in systems, the need to understand context and stakeholders that surround individuals becomes much greater. Systems-thinking and better understanding requires looking out for feedback loops. These capture unintended consequences, but also highlight what conditions are needed in the system for sustained behavior change, which  might require shifting social norms. 

India has an example of such system change: the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile), often regarded as the basis of India’s digital revolution in the mid-2010s.^[2] JAM created potential for easier payments at multiple levels: through potential for financial access (with zero balance accounts), refined identification (with a unique national level ID) and means (by enabling digital payments). 

As the government continues  to work on issues that have been the focus of extensive legislative and administrative action over recent years, for example air pollution or clean energy initiatives. Such issues will benefit tremendously from replicating such system-level changes such as the ones seen in the JAM trinity.

Systems are communities at the heart of digital products and services

While programs often focus on an intervention’s tangible impact on the target population, the prerequisites needed to make the program a success can be overlooked. This is particularly true for new digital services that offer a strong value proposition for users, but can forget that users (particularly from low income and vulnerable populations) might be uncomfortable with new technologies. This often leads to uneven adoption as some people might be more averse to–or less exposed to to new technology. This can, for example, exclude women from low-income populations from using new technologies. To avoid such exclusion when pursuing digital solutions, it is necessary to to consider mechanisms identified through behavioral research that might  build self-efficacy and confidence in operating technology among users.

With  more and more digital services, data security and privacy remain as urgent issues. Building on the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023,^[3] concern for privacy now needs to trickle down to the end-users. This might mean educating on informed consent and steps needed to protect one’s data from  fraud or identity theft. Data privacy for end-users is a prime concern in digital initiatives: behavioral research can help identify contextually-appropriate ways to communicate salient data protection measures that help individuals to develop trust in technology while pursuing best practices.

Particularly with new technologies, prioritize ethical research practices

Trust building of any kind is a reciprocal undertaking: it can only be built if a population is treated with dignity. Often research that informs programming is done with populations that might be underserved and have low incomes, but are still accessible. It is tempting to continue researching with accessible participants,  but this comes at the cost of excluding the voices of vulnerable yet more difficult-to-reach groups such as migrants, indigenous populations, persons living with disabilities, urban slum dwellers and refugee populations. To ensure equity and inclusivity, it is crucial to engage with groups whose voice may have gone unheard, and to put them at the center of ethical research and program development. Developing tailored approaches that are sensitive to the context and needs of the population and that respect cultural values, privacy and confidentiality will aid in expanding research efforts to include underserved populations, ultimately contributing to more equitable and impactful programs. 

Further, development programs need to focus on increasing participant visibility by using principles of human-centered design, which involves understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviors of users – and keeping them at the center of program design. Increasing participant visibility and  ensuring that their voices, experiences, and perspectives are valued and prioritized enhances the quality and relevance of the research and fosters trust, engagement, and empowerment among participants.

Recognition and acknowledgment of participants’ contributions to research and program design are also paramount. Finally, effective communication of research findings ensures that participants are informed about the impact of their involvement and strengthens the integrity of the research process. It is important to recognise and acknowledge participants’ contributions to research and program design as it enables them to understand the significance of the research findings and how they contribute to addressing community needs or advancing knowledge in the field.^[4]

This also enables participants to understand the significance of the research findings and how they contribute to addressing community needs or advancing knowledge in the field.

Humans matter: the power of behavioral research for India

This is an important moment for India and it calls for a wide perspective on challenges. A good outlook for this perspective could be that humans matter all along the way. Taking into consideration behavioral perspectives and the ethics they call for for the evolving development landscape might enable a government to create stronger, more impactful and inclusive programs.  

^[1] Diaz Del Valle, Emiliano; Jang, Chaning; Wendel, Stephen. Behavioral systems: Combining behavioral science and systems analysis. Busara Groundwork (Genre – Research Agenda), No. 8. Nairobi: Busara, 2024.
^[2] Aggarwal, R. (2016, June 2). JAM – Using (Jan Dhan) Bank Accounts, Aadhaar and Mobiles to create new products and services, and new ways of doing things. Microsave Consulting (MSC). URL: https://www.microsave.net/2016/06/02/jam-using-jan-dhan-bank-accounts-aadhaar-and-mobiles-to-create-new-products-and-services-and-new-ways-of-doing-things/
^[3] Anirudh Burman (2023, October 3). Understanding India’s New Data Protection Law. Carnegie India. URL: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/10/understanding-indias-new-data-protection-law?lang=en
^[4] Wambua, Joel; Nicholas Owsley; Tom Wein. Participant voice first: Busara’s research agenda on ethical research in the Global South. Busara Groundwork (Research Agenda). Nairobi: Busara, 2023.