Behavioural economics has established itself as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates economic theory with insights from psychology, neuroscience and other social sciences, with the aim of understanding how people make decisions in real-world contexts. Unlike the traditional economic model, which is based on assumptions of perfect rationality and consistent maximisation, this approach recognises that individual and collective decisions are influenced by cognitive biases, information constraints and contextual factors.

The accumulated empirical evidence shows that these behavioural factors have a significant impact on the effectiveness of public policies. Programmes that are technically well-designed may fail to achieve the expected results if they do not consider how citizens perceive information, assess incentives or respond to institutional environments. In this regard, behavioural economics offers practical tools for identifying frictions, simplifying processes, redesigning communications and structuring incentives that facilitate decisions aligned with public policy objectives.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, multilateral organisations and national governments have progressively incorporated behavioural tools in areas such as tax compliance, social protection, education, health, financial inclusion and regulation. These developments have demonstrated that low-cost interventions, designed on the basis of rigorous behavioural assessments, can lead to substantial improvements in social and economic outcomes.

In this context, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has been organising a series of regional workshops since 2022 aimed at strengthening institutional capacity in behavioural economics. These initiatives have made it possible not only to disseminate the conceptual and methodological framework, but also to promote the exchange of experiences and the development of proposals tailored to specific issues.

The fifth edition of the workshop combines conceptual content with practical application, recognising that behavioural analysis is key to the design and improvement of public policies. Throughout the programme, the fundamentals of the discipline and experiences from the region are presented, demonstrating how behavioural sciences can enhance the effectiveness of policies. The workshop also includes a practical session in which participants work on specific issues where individual and collective behaviour plays a decisive role and which, therefore, can be addressed through strategically designed solutions. To that end, a structured methodology is used to define, diagnose and design behavioural solutions aimed at tackling the identified challenges.

The workshop therefore aims not only to strengthen theoretical knowledge, but also to apply the methodological approach developed by the IDB to the preliminary design of interventions in priority sectors for the Dominican Republic.

In line with previous editions of the workshop, this event will provide a platform for showcasing best practices in this field; it will also serve as a means of training public officials on the value of behavioural economics and its tools as a way of developing better public policies, through the exchange of experiences, the development of case studies and the examination of local issues.

This workshop aims to:

• Understand the conceptual foundations of behavioural economics.
• Share best practices and experiences of public policies developed with a focus on behavioural change.
• Study the design of economic policies based on behavioural economics.
• Introduce the implementation of economic policies grounded in behavioural economics within the Dominican context.
• Develop project proposals to address local issues using a behavioural change approach.

The V Workshop on public policy instruments based on behavioural economics is organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through its Behavioural Economics Group.

• Date: 15 and 16 April 2026.
• Time: 09:30 – 16:00 (Dominican Republic time).
• Format: This workshop will be held in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual – 1st session), following a theoretical and practical approach.
• In-person: The workshop will take place in person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Convention Centre, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• Virtual: Registration is available via the following link: https://tinyurl.com/mwv2c3fn (applies only to the sessions on 15 April 2026).
• Aimed at: The theoretical session is open to all and free of charge. The practical session will be by invitation only, issued by the organisers to public officials in the Dominican Republic responsible for the design and implementation of public policies (places are limited).
• Language: Spanish.

• Economic Recovery Coordination. Telephone: +58 212 9557140;
  E-mail: recuperacion_economica@sela.org
• Alixis Mariño, Economic Recovery Analyst. Telephone: +58 212 9557219,
  E-mail: amarino@sela.org