Behavioral Development Lab (BDL)

Pioneered by three young researchers—Prof. Heather Schofield, Prof. Frank Schilbach, and Prof. Gautam Rao—the Behavioral Development Lab focuses on integrating behavioral economics and development economics to understand the causes and consequences of poverty. The BDL is housed under LEAD (formerly IFMR LEAD), an action-oriented research center of IFMR Society with strategic oversight from Krea University, and is affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asia (J-PAL SA). We believe that by understanding the lives of the poor, we can both improve our understanding of the drivers of poverty and promote more effective, efficient, and compassionate policies.