Ep 35 Our 'Checks Checks Checks' Friend - Behavioral Econ, Cash Transfers & Welfare ft. Matt Darling

This week the guys were thrilled to be joined by Matt Darling, a Vice President with a personal focus in economic justice @ideas42, a behavioral economics research and development lab. Together they provided an introduction to behavioral economics and had an in-depth discussion regarding welfare and cash transfers within the United States - inside and outside of the context of the pandemic. Lastly, this round of overrated/underrated included subjects varying from the gender wage gap to the quality of Matt's trousers (not to mention his opinion of epidemiologists, especially one in particular). 1:00 A brief introduction to behavioral economics 9:45 Checks Checks Checks 37:02 An ideal unemployment system 51:26 UBI, other cash transfers, and their effects on unemployment 1:09:29 How did the pandemic change your opinion of welfare? 1:20:10 The poor as irrational, rational actors and navigating the welfare system 1:27:30 Underrated/Overrated Matt and his valuable thoughts can be found on Twitter @besttrousers And as always, if you enjoyed this conversation and would like to hear others like it, be sure to like, review, and subscribe to us on your favorite podcast app. You can also follow us on Twitter at @NobodyDismal or email us at NobodyExpectsTheDismalScience@gmail.com. We promise to always respond, whether on-air or off. References/further reading: ideas42’s excellent paper that Matt co-authored, Work Requirements Don’t Work: A behavioral science perspective https://www.ideas42.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ideas42-Work-Requirements-Paper.pdf Ioana Marinescu’s No Strings Attached: The Behavioral Effects of U.S. Unconditional Cash Transfer Programs https://www.nber.org/papers/w24337 Banerjee et al’s: Debunking the Stereotype of the Lazy Welfare Recipient: Evidence from Cash Transfer Programs Worldwide https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/remahanna/files/151016_labor_supply_paper_draft_final.pdf