The impacts of COVID-19 and how we deal with them hinge on how politicians, firms and the public respond. What lessons can we learn from behavioural science about how we act in a time of crisis characterised by great uncertainty? What lessons can behavioural science learn about how it can be best placed to provide guidance in an uncertain world?

Answers to these questions are crucial to not only mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 but also to dealing better with future crises, not only caused by viruses but also by other shocks.

Nick Chater (@NickJChater) is Professor of Behavioural Science, University of Warwick. He is on the advisory board to the Behavioural Insights Team.

Liam Delaney (@LiamDelaneyEcon) is Professor of Behavioural Science at University College Dublin and has been advising the Irish Government on its response to COVID-19. He will be joining LSE later this year.

Paul Dolan (@profpauldolan) is Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is Head of Department in Psychological and Behavioural Science and Director of the EMSc in Behavioural Science. He is author of the Sunday Times best-selling book Happiness by Design, and Happy Ever After.

Ulrike Hahn is Professor of Psychological Science at Birkbeck College. She has been at the forefront of attempts to reconfigure behavioural science to deal with COVID-19.

Grace Lordan (@GraceLordan_) is Associate Professor in Behavioural Science and the founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE.

Julia Black is currently LSE's Strategic Director of Innovation and a Professor of Law in the Department of Law at LSE.

This event is part of LSE's public event series - COVID-19: The Policy Response.

COVID-19 represents an enormous challenge for the social sciences to help governments and non-governmental organisations respond to the economic and societal consequences of the pandemic. Part of LSE's response to this challenge is a series of online public events that will take place over the Summer Term.

Why not visit the School of Public Policy COVID-19 Resource Centre.

This event in the series has been organised by the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science.

The next event in this series will take place at 4pm on 13 May on Transboundary Crisis Management in Europe in the Wake of COVID-19.

The Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science (@LSE_PBS) is a growing community of researchers, intellectuals, and students who investigate the human mind and behaviour in a societal context. Our department conducts cutting-edge psychological and behavioural research that is both based in and applied to the real world.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECOVID19

Podcast & Video

A podcast of this event is available to download from Behavioural Science in the Context of Great Uncertainty.

A video of this event is available to watch at Behavioural Science in the Context of Great Uncertainty.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.