Calling DIBS

Kirstin Appelt
  • 5.0 (4)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Calling DIBS

Join host Kirstin Appelt, Research Director of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS), as she interviews Behavioural Insights enthusiasts and experts from BC and beyond to explore:  how BI is being used to tackle societal and planetary challenges, how BI skills are used across sectors,how BI intersects with other fields, how to conduct BI projects, and how BI is advancing with new research.Liner notes: Calling DIBS is recorded and edited on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh). Calling DIBS is edited by Rishad Habib, Siobhan Cook, Isabella Jaramillo, Parnian Ashrafi, Kashish Khatri, Olin Becker, and Kirstin Appelt. Intro and outro music are excerpts from “resonance” by airtone (2020; http://ccmixter.org/files/airtone/61321), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0).  New episodes are posted regularly September-May. 

  1. JUN 4

    Calling DIBS Hits 100 (Episode 100)

    Kirstin Appelt, Research Director of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS). To celebrate our 100th episode, host Kirstin Appelt reflects on her top takeaways so far: (1) There are multiple roads to BI and the field is richer for it. (2) BI is everywhere, which means there's no shortage of opportunities for doing the work of BI! (3) BI has a strong foundation and it's constantly evolving and improving. (4) BI is a kind, passionate community where everyone from newbies to long-time experts are generous with their time and knowledge.

    18 min

  2. MAY 21

    Does A Greener Car by Any Other Name Save as Much Fuel? (Episode 99)

    Adrian Camilleri, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Technology Sydney Business School. Adrian Camilleri provides an overview of his research nudging greener car choices: He shares his earlier work testing different fuel economy metrics and activating different purchase goals. Adrian also gives us a sneak peek into his ongoing research exploring personalized nudges--the idea that different folks respond to different nudges, and that matching the right nudge to the right person might best help them achieve their goals.

    40 min

  3. MAY 7

    Antiracist by Design is Better By Design (Episode 98)

    Crystal Hall, Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Drawing on her book Antiracist by Design, Crystal Hall shares an updated model for working on behavioural science projects. The model emphasizes actively and collaboratively planning and managing projects so that they involve the right people, ask the right questions, identify the correct problems, iteratively design fitting solutions, measure for differential impacts for different groups and downstream consequences, and share results through multiple channels.

    49 min

  4. APR 23

    Using Carrots (Not Sticks) for Climate Action (Episode 97)

    Jade Radke, PhD student in Psychology at UBC, & Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC. As part of the "Happy Climate" project, Jade Radke and Jiaying Zhao are exploring how to increase both climate action and happiness. Across projects, they've found that positive frames and probabilistic rewards work: Framing actions as doing more good (vs. less bad), framing climate change as an opportunity for action (vs. a disaster to survive), and offering lotteries (vs. certain rewards) all lead to more climate action. That said, as we discuss, context matters!

    31 min

  5. APR 9

    Planning Helps Us Collectively Shape Our Future (Episode 96)

    Holly Caggiano, Assistant Professor in Climate Justice and Environmental Planning at UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning. Holly Caggiano shares her research combining the disciplines of behavioural science and planning to explore climate equity, community-led solutions, and community solidarity and care. We also discuss some of the opportunities that arise when behavioural science and planning come together, including more exploration of the forces shaping human behaviour and more progress toward community-led planning and nudging.

    37 min

  6. MAR 26

    Sludge Audits For the Win! (Episode 95)

    Eva Koromilas, Project Lead with the OECD’s Behavioural Science Unit. Sludge is baked into many processes, from filing taxes to renewing licenses to accessing services. Fortunately, folks like Eva Koromilas are paving the way for organizations worldwide to undertake sludge audits to find and eliminate the points of friction and psychological costs that keep us from completing processes. Eva explains the value of sludge audits for organizations, for service users, and for BI enthusiasts hoping to start weaving BI into their work.

    28 min

  7. MAR 12

    Unblocking Harm Reduction Behaviours Amidst the Fentanyl Crisis (Episode 94)

    Penny Norman, VP of Strategy & Communications, Rescue Agency. Penny Norman applies behavioural science to tackle a variety of pressing behavioural and mental health challenges. She provides a snapshot of the work Rescue has done to promote harm reduction behaviours within the context of the fentanyl crisis. The takeaways are widely applicable to behaviour change projects -- approach with an open mind, look for restraining forces, move beyond raising awareness, empower people, and learn and iterate.

    38 min

  8. FEB 26

    "Both/And" Strengthens Behavioural Science (Episode 93)

    Jeremy Gretton, Behavioural Scientist with the Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit.  Jeremy Gretton reflects on his time applying BI in academia, the private sector, and government. We discuss why many "a or b" questions are better answered with "both/and": Combining academic and applied expertise, qualitative and quantitative approaches, behaviour and systems change, and rigour and impact are all more powerful than choosing "either/or". Jeremy also shares recent work on public trust and vaccination by Public Health Canada.

    31 min
See All (99)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Join host Kirstin Appelt, Research Director of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS), as she interviews Behavioural Insights enthusiasts and experts from BC and beyond to explore:  how BI is being used to tackle societal and planetary challenges, how BI skills are used across sectors,how BI intersects with other fields, how to conduct BI projects, and how BI is advancing with new research.Liner notes: Calling DIBS is recorded and edited on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh). Calling DIBS is edited by Rishad Habib, Siobhan Cook, Isabella Jaramillo, Parnian Ashrafi, Kashish Khatri, Olin Becker, and Kirstin Appelt. Intro and outro music are excerpts from “resonance” by airtone (2020; http://ccmixter.org/files/airtone/61321), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0).  New episodes are posted regularly September-May. 

Information

  • Creator
    Kirstin Appelt
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 UBC Decision Insights for Business and Society
  • Show Website
    Calling DIBS

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