Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (CFDA 47.075) awarded a $300,713 Project Grant to the University of California, Berkeley, effective October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. This award supports fundamental research applying behavioral economics methodologies to understand mass behavior—specifically, how large groups reason collectively, how individuals form beliefs about group behavior, and how people navigate strategic powerlessness as group members. The research employs experimental design and empirical analysis to develop predictive models and conceptual frameworks that advance understanding of human institutions, collective decision-making, and the rationality of large-scale social and economic interactions.

The primary deliverables include experimental datasets, empirical findings, and conceptual insights that extend behavioral economics beyond its traditional focus on individual-level optimization and small-scale strategic interaction. These products will contribute to improved understanding of mass behavior dynamics across markets, online communities, social movements, and electoral processes—areas increasingly critical to policy and institutional decision-making in an interconnected world. The research outcomes will support the development of evidence-based frameworks for predicting and analyzing collective human behavior at scale.