SOE Assistant Professor Jonathan Malacarne shared research on behavioral nudges at NAREA Conference

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

June 17, 2020 News

SOE Assistant Professor Jonathan Malacarne presented his research on behavioral nudges at the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Associaton (NAREA). His talk entitled The Helpful and Harmful Potential of Behavioral Nudges focused on tradeoffs involving the use of behavioral nudges. Dr. Malacarne’s work builds off the observation that many well-intentioned programs seek to induce investment – in the form of entrepreneurship, education, or technology, and recognizes that as economists have accepted psychological traits as determinants of choice, they have become targets for nudge-based interventions. His work notes that psychology and economics research both suggests that psychological traits are informed by a decision-maker’s environment and experiences, and, as such, they often contain relevant information about the expected returns to investment. Dr. Malacarne’s paper argues that interventions seeking to promote investment by nudging psychological traits dangerously toe the line of prioritizing implementer beliefs over local experience. Great talk Jonathan ! And stay tuned SOE Community for more insights from Dr. Malacarne on behavioral nudges.

For more information about the 2020 Virtual NAREA Conference, click here.