Social and Behavioral Sciences Team

The Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) was established in the US by Executive Order #13707 on September 15, 2015.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Team

Agency overview
Formed| September 15, 2015
Jurisdiction| Government of the United States of America
Headquarters| 725 17th Street, Washington, D.C.
Agency executives|

* Maya Shankar, Chair
* Amira Choueiki, Executive Secretary

Parent department| Executive Office of the President
Parent agency| National Science and Technology Council
Website| sbst.gov

The Social and Behavioral Sciences Team was a group of experts in applied behavioral science that translated findings and methods from the social and behavioral sciences into improvements in federal policies and programs for the benefit of the American people. The SBST was chaired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and represented a dozen member agencies across the Federal Government, as well as offices within the Executive Office of the President. SBST also received critical support from the General Services Administration. The Executive Order charged SBST with providing advice and policy guidance to Federal agencies in support of the order.[1]

The team was chaired by Maya Shankar Ph.D.[2] "The goal is to help people who want to take a given step but may face some barriers," commented Maya.[3]

The SBST aimed to apply insights from social and behavioral science to policy.[4][5] According to members of the team, they have helped connect veterans with employment and educational counseling benefits and helped struggling student borrowers understand their loan repayment options.[6]

The team is no longer active as of January 21, 2017, with employees having left to other agencies or organizations.[7] During the Trump administration, the team's work was continued by the General Services Administration's Office of Evaluation Sciences[8].

Part of a series on

Nudge theory

Social scientists

* Richard Thaler
* Shlomo Benartzi
* Cass Sunstein
* Maya Shankar

* * *

Government programs

* Race to the Top
* Affordable Care Act tax provisions
* Social Credit System
* Vision Zero

Government agencies

* Behavioural Insights Team (UK)
* Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (US)

Nudge theory in business

* Loyalty program
* Safety culture

Related concepts

* Behavioral economics
* Choice architecture
* Default effect
* Design for behaviour change
* Libertarian paternalism
* Paternalism
* Social engineering
* Social proof
* IT-backed authoritarianism

* v
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## References

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1. ^ "Fact Sheet: President Obama Signs Executive Order; White House Announces New Steps to Improve Federal Programs by Leveraging Research Insights". whitehouse.gov. 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2016-12-12 - via National Archives.
2. ^ "Social and Behavioral Sciences Team Annual Report 2015" (PDF).
3. ^ Appelbaum, Binyamin (2015-09-29). "Behaviorists Show the U.S. How to Improve Government Operations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
4. ^ "The White House Is Now Using Behavioral Economics to Improve Policy".
5. ^ "2015 Annual Report". Https. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
6. ^ "Using Behavioral Science Insights to Make Government More Effective, Simpler, and More People-Friendly". whitehouse.gov. 2015-02-09. Retrieved January 18, 2016 - via National Archives.
7. ^ "Can Behavioral Science Help in Flint?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
8. ^ "The US Office of Evaluation Sciences Releases 2016-2017 Results". Association for Psychological Science - APS. Retrieved 2021-03-15.

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