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Busara Center Behavioral Interventions Africa

Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India (50+ countries), Africa, South Asia

The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics in Nairobi is the largest behavioral science organization focused on the Global South. Operating the world's largest behavioral science lab (133,000+ participants across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India), Busara designs and tests interventions addressing poverty, health, agriculture, and education. They emphasize that "biases are local"—behavioral insights must be adapted to specific cultural contexts rather than imported from Western research.

Behavior Goal

Apply rigorously tested behavioral insights to improve program effectiveness in health, financial inclusion, agriculture, and education across the Global South

Target Audiences

General Population

Implementers & Partners

  • Busara Center for Behavioral Economics
  • CEGA
  • NIERA
  • Local Research Institutions

Donors & Sponsors

  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • USAID
  • World Bank
  • Various Foundations

Key Takeaways

  • 1Behavioral biases vary by location—interventions must be locally tested
  • 2Lab-based testing with local populations ensures culturally appropriate designs
  • 3Poverty and stress affect decision-making in ways that require tailored interventions
  • 4Academic behavioral research (often WEIRD populations) may not transfer to LMICs

Sources

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