The Day It Paid to Delay BirthA cash bonus for newborns created a strange medical frenzy.

From the show

When Rewards Backfire

This story reveals how well-intentioned economic policies can have bizarre, unintended consequences. In 2004, Australia offered a cash payment to parents to boost its declining birth rate. The policy's most dramatic outcome wasn't a sustained baby boom, but a record number of births medically scheduled for the day the payment began. It’s a powerful case study in the unexpected ways people respond to financial incentives, questioning what behaviors we truly encourage.