Founded in 2019 to bridge academic rigor and real-world policy impact
EthosLab was established in Athens, Greece, to bring rigorous behavioral economics and econometric methods to European policy challenges. Founded by Dr. Georgios Melios and Nikolaos Melios, we recognized a critical gap: cutting-edge academic research wasn’t reaching the governments and businesses that needed it most across Europe and the MENA region. Our founding principle: good policy requires both understanding human behavior and proving what works through rigorous quantitative evidence.
Early work focused on what matters most: welfare and evidence
From the start, we tackled fundamental questions. How do we measure social welfare beyond GDP? What interventions actually reduce inequality? How can behavioral insights improve public service delivery in diverse European contexts?
Our early projects combined econometric analysis with behavioral diagnosis—not to theorize, but to test. Through collaborations with businesses, government bodies, and universities, we built a track record of what works in policy design and evaluation. We didn’t assume our approaches would succeed. We measured.
We developed tools and frameworks used across Europe
One of our key innovations is the Reframing Welfare Index, co-developed with KMOP Policy Centre. This comprehensive framework measures regional welfare across Europe beyond traditional GDP metrics, capturing what truly matters: economic opportunity, social cohesion, health, and environmental quality. The Index now covers hundreds of European regions and informs policy decisions at regional and EU levels.
We also developed the ETHOS Framework (Explore, Test, Hone, Optimize, Scale)—a five-stage methodology for evidence-based policy development. Unlike approaches that jump from diagnosis to evaluation, ETHOS emphasizes iteration: pilot multiple approaches, refine based on results, then conduct rigorous impact assessment before scaling. This method reduces policy failure and ensures interventions work across diverse contexts.
Today, EthosLab operates at the intersection of behavioral science, causal inference, and policy evaluation. We participate in large reserach projects examining welfare policy impacts, supported government initiatives on evidence-based policymaking, and advised businesses on ESG measurement and transformation strategies.
A specialized team, not a large consultancy
Unlike large consultancies, we remain intentionally focused—a specialized team that combines research excellence with implementation experience. This allows us to maintain the standards of academic research while delivering practical, actionable insights for real-world challenges.
We work primarily across Europe and MENA, where we bring deep understanding of institutional contexts, political economy, and cultural factors that shape policy effectiveness. Our regional focus means we understand how behavioral interventions perform within EU regulatory frameworks and can navigate the complexities of multi-country partnerships and diverse administrative systems.
Today, we do more than consult—we build capacity
EthosLab has evolved from a research boutique to a full-service research and innovation firm. Our team includes econometricians, behavioral scientists, policy analysts, and project managers. We maintain research partnerships with universities while delivering projects for governments and major corporations across Europe.
We’ve moved beyond single-project engagements to sustained partnerships that include capacity building, training policy teams in experimental methods, and supporting the development of behavioral insights capabilities within organizations. Our clients don’t just receive reports—they build internal capacity to apply evidence-based methods long after our engagement ends.
What drives us
We believe evidence-based policy isn’t optional—it’s essential. In a world of constrained budgets and complex social challenges, governments and businesses must know what actually works, for whom, and why. Guesswork and good intentions aren’t enough.