Public Scholarship

“The Science of Belief” was produced as part of the CPIC/UNHCR partnership. All three articles below appeared in Medium and use academic research to answer some tough questions about why people believe what they do:

• Identify Perceptions of Harm
  December 2018
  Why do some people support policies that limit asylum seekers’ opportunity to seek refuge in another community? How is it that people can have such radically different perspectives on solutions for protecting refugees? How people think and act toward issues is influenced by their gut intuitions or emotional reactions.
• Use Values and Worldviews to Build Bridges
  December 2018
  Why do people have such radically different responses to refugees? How is it that despite our best efforts to gain support for the protection of people whose lives are devastated by forces outside their control, we continue to face apathy and opposition?
• Move Beyond “Us” and “Them” to “We”
  October 2018
  Why do people hold prejudiced beliefs toward refugees and people seeking asylum? How can we develop communication strategies to engender more positive feelings toward refugees?

The Secret to Better Storytelling for Social Change: Better Partnerships
SSIR–November 2018
No single organization or individual can pull off an effective storytelling campaign alone. Reaping the benefits of storytelling requires that we build better partnerships between three important players. This article was produced in partnership with Exposure Labs to bring together the best available knowledge from practice and academia.

The Science of What Makes People Care
SSIR–Fall 2018 Issue
Effective communication is not simply about getting your message out. It requires you to strategically tap into what shapes people’s feelings and values. This article contains five principles pulled from social science that will help you connect your work to what people care most about.

How We Are Making Sure the Science We Share Is Good
Medium–July 2018
Findings that have long adorned psychology textbooks and found their way into the popular press, like the Stanford prison experiment, have come under scrutiny when their findings were critically re-explored. Therefore, we must accept that not all research is created equal.

Things I learned from YouTube stars, ex-extremists, and storytellers about fighting hate
Medium–July 2018
In June 2018, 50 YouTube content creators from around the world gathered in London for YouTube’s Creators for Change camp. These ambassadors met to work on projects for their YouTube channels to fight hate speech, xenophobia and racism. With millions of followers among them, this incredible program supports these influencers as they use the platform for social good. This guide provides an actionable framework for practitioners to include quality research in their work.

The Science of Story Building
Medium–May 2018
This 7-part series explores what science and research tells us about why stories work. The collection of articles synthesizes scholarship from multiple disciplines to help inform journalism and public interest communications leaders and practitioners how to break through the noise and work toward the greater public good.

How to Tell Stories About Complex Issues
SSIR–May 2018
Stories are the most powerful tool we have for increasing understanding and building engagement with complex issues. Telling them well can drive belief and behavior change.