Keynote Address: The i-frame and the s-frame: How Focusing on Individual-level Solutions has Led Behavioral Public Policy Astray

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Speaker: George Loewenstein, Carnegie Mellon University

Many behavioral scientists propose and test policy interventions that seek to ‘fix’ problems with individual behavior (adopting an “i-frame”) rather than addressing the system in which individuals operate (an “s-frame”). In his Keynote Address, Loewenstein explores the impact of such i-frame interventions and how they can reduce support for much-needed systemic reforms. Highlighting individual responsibility for societal problems is a long-established objective of corporate opponents of s-frame policies (e.g., regulation and taxation). Thus, Loewenstein explains how researchers advocating i-frame solutions may have unwittingly promoted the interests of the opponents of systemic change. He also describes how behavioral scientists can best contribute to public policy by employing their skills to develop and implement value-creating system-level change.

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