Behavioral science is increasingly used in public policy to understand and address various manifestations of inequalities. Yet evidence from effective population-level interventions is limited. One framework, known as positive deviance, emphasizes individuals from disadvantaged circumstances who have significantly better outcomes than are typical for their group. Studying their behaviors and outcomes helps to understand what might explain their overall success. These insights could also be used to help others from these circumstances experience positive outcomes. Because positive deviance has been markedly understudied, we present a framework for doing so specifically within behavioral science for public policies aimed at reducing inequalities. Using examples from real-world and experimental insights on choices and outcomes of positive deviants, we encourage further study of their choices and trajectories over time to produce valuable insights. We propose that leveraging those findings would inform public policy by introducing interventions that are more ecologically sound and population-relevant and thus have a better chance at benefiting those who start off under adverse circumstances.

行为科学越来越多地用于公共政策，以了解和解决不平等的各种表现。然而，来自有效人群层面干预措施的证据有限。一种称为积极偏差的框架强调处于不利环境中的个人，他们的结果明显好于他们所在群体的典型情况。研究他们的行为和结果有助于理解什么可以解释他们的整体成功。这些见解也可以用来帮助其他人在这些情况下获得积极的结果。由于对积极偏差的研究明显不足，我们提出了一个框架，专门在行为科学中为旨在减少不平等的公共政策提供这样做。使用来自真实世界的例子和关于积极偏差的选择和结果的实验​​见解，我们鼓励随着时间的推移进一步研究他们的选择和轨迹，以产生有价值的见解。我们建议，利用这些发现将通过引入对生态更无害且与人口相关的干预措施来为公共政策提供信息，从而更有可能使那些在不利情况下开始的人受益。