Short showWhen Rewards Backfire
Discover how good intentions pave the road to disaster when performance metrics hijack human behavior. From healthcare to corporate boardrooms, this series explores the hidden economics and psychology behind systems that encourage cheating and corruption. Learn why measuring the wrong things leads to unintended consequences in business and society.
Latest drops:
France's Retirement Trap
How a safety net became a career exit.
The Pig Bounty That Bred a Pig Boom
How a plan to reduce a feral hog population backfired.
Solving Shortage by Selling Organs
How a legal kidney market created new problems.
The Wall That Was a Gate
How to make a fortress useless with poor pay.
The Child Support Trap
When helping your kids ends up hurting them.
Manufacturing Madness for Money
How Quebec turned orphans into patients for profit.
Designed to Cheat
How VW's 'clean diesel' was a secret machine for fraud.
How 'Good' Incentives Hurt Patients
Hospitals found a way to avoid penalties for readmissions.
When Fining People Makes Things Worse
How a penalty for being late backfired spectacularly.
Breeding Snakes for Bounty
How a reward for dead cobras backfired spectacularly.