BeGOV—Behavioral Science for Governance exists to close the gap between behavioral science research and the real-world strategies used by civil society, policymakers, and other actors to build effective engagement with citizens.

Our work aims to build resilient communities by building meaningful connections between policymakers and the communities impacted by the decisions of different actors in society, with ongoing initiatives in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Lesotho. We have partnered with government institutions, multilateral institutions, funders, technical experts and academia, civil society, and, more importantly, community groups to iterate behavioral interventions that build effective feedback loop systems for better governance outcomes.

Our primary focus over the past few years has been supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) through research and capacity-building to enhance citizen engagement. This includes strengthening the resilience of community organizations and other social institutions to respond to emerging challenges such as limited funding, weak relationships with governments, and growing apathy from citizens, which impacts governance outcomes.

By helping our partners integrate behavioral science into their approaches, we are building an ecosystem where different actors can collaborate and leverage innovation, experimentation, and evidence to build communities where meaningful dialogue between actors thrives and strengthens governance. To better serve our partners, BeGov operates in two portfolios: the Governance, Accountability, and Urban Planning Portfolio, and the Social Cohesion Portfolio.

Governance, Accountability and Urban Planning (BeGovUP): We aim to bridge the gap between applied behavioral science research and the strategies used by civil society practitioners to enhance citizen engagement. Our work focuses on generating actionable insights that inform more effective and impactful civic engagement strategies.
Our current research agenda focuses on the behavioral systems that shape civic engagement in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania). We examine how online and offline information ecosystems influence engagement, the roles of key actors throughout the civic engagement cycle, and the impact of social norms on collective action and community decision-making.
By integrating behavioral science with a nuanced understanding of social and political dynamics, we seek to uncover both the opportunities and challenges that influence meaningful citizen participation.

Social Cohesion Portfolio (SCP): The Social Cohesion Portfolio aims to harness behavioral science to foster inclusive, peaceful, and cohesive societies. Our work strengthens the foundations of social stability by promoting trust, cooperation, and resilience at both the individual and community levels. Recognizing that social cohesion is not only a product of economic opportunity or institutional design, but also of human behavior and social norms, the portfolio integrates insights from behavioral economics, psychology, and sociology to address the underlying drivers of division and instability.

Our work cuts across many issues such as corruption, weak governance, migration, and displacement, which erode the social fabric and undermine efforts to build sustainable peace. The Social Stability Portfolio explicitly tackles these challenges by supporting initiatives that reduce harmful behaviors, foster community trust, and enhance civic engagement. We employ a combination of innovation, experimentation, and capacity strengthening to support the design and testing of context-specific solutions that encourage positive behavior change, facilitate conflict resolution, and reinforce community bonds.

Ultimately, the goal is to create and sustain institutional and communal environments where social cohesion thrives—enabling societies to better withstand shocks, resolve conflicts peacefully, and pursue collective well-being. By placing human behavior at the center of governance reform and peacebuilding, the Social Stability Portfolio provides a critical pathway toward long-term stability and inclusive development.