Professor Bhanot is a behavioral and public economist, and an Associate Professor of Economics at Swarthmore College. His research centers on field experiments that use behavioral science concepts to influence decision-making, with a focus on pro-social behavior and various issues related to public policy, development, and poverty. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals across the social sciences, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of Development Economics, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and The Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. He is a frequent commentator on behavioral science topics in the media as well, with regular appearances in the New York Times, NPR, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Professor Bhanot is also an Academic Affiliate in the U.S. Office of Evaluation Sciences, a Board Member at the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics, a Senior Researcher at the Applied Cooperation Initiative (ACI) at MIT, and a founding member of the Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative. He is also an award-winning teacher, having taught courses at Harvard, Brown, and Northeastern, among others.

See his personal website for more information about his research and teaching.

In his free time, Professor Bhanot is an avid golfer and enjoys playing guitar, watching sports, and spending time with his wife Susie, his daughter Leena, and his dogs, Humphrey and Lola.

Selected Recent Publications

Behavioral Public Policy in a Global Context: Practical Lessons from Outside the Nudge Unit. Palgrave Macmillan. 2023. [Co-edited with Michael Sanders and Shibeal O’Flaherty]

Bhanot, S.P. 2025. Politicians as Persuaders: A Field Experiment on Messenger Effects and Social Program Uptake. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 8(1). 

O’ Flaherty, S., Martin, L., Bhanot, S., Hall, C., Jilke, S., Simko, T., and Steffel, M. 2024. How Academics and Policymakers Can Collaborate Effectively: Lessons from Using Behavioral Science to Improve U.S. Federal Government Policies. Behavioral Science & Policy. 

Bhanot, S.P., B. Crost, J. Leight, E. Mvukiyehe, and B. Yedgenov. 2021. Can Community Service Grants Foster Social and Economic Integration for Youth? A Randomized Trial in Kazakhstan. Journal of Development Economics, 153. (PDF)

Bhanot, S.P. 2021. Isolating the Effect of Injunctive Norms on Conservation Behavior: New Evidence from a Field Experiment in California. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 163, 30-42. (PDF)

Popular Press Pieces

Bhanot, S.P. May 5, 2020. You’re Stronger Than Your Quarantine Fatigue, New York Times: Op-Ed.

Yoeli, E., S.P. Bhanot, G. Kraft-Todd, and D. Rand. May 15, 2015. How to Get People to Pitch In. New York Times: Gray Matter Op-Ed.