Applying behavioural insights to policy making

Blog 5 Comments

  • Behaviour change
  • Social brain

The European Commission will be holding a conference at the end of the month on the theme applying behavioural insights to policy-making.

Here in the Social Brain Centre at the RSA, we too are interested in the application of behavioural insights to various behaviour change challenges across many different policy areas.  For example, we will soon be publishing a report exploring the application of behavioural insight to the socio-economic educational attainment gap (the difference in performance between pupils from relatively affluent and relatively poor backgrounds), and in the pipeline is another important piece of work examining the barriers to behaviour change in the context of mitigating climate change.

So the European Commission conference is particularly relevant for our team.  According to the conference website, “the conference presentations and discussions will tackle several key questions, among which:

  • How can behavioural insights be collected and applied?

  • What role can behavioural insights play in informing policy interventions?

  • Which are the most relevant examples where the behavioural approach improved the effectiveness of policy measures?

  • What are the main challenges and achievements of the trials run at a national level?”

    • I am really looking forward to attending the conference, not only for the chance to binge on Belgian chocolates, but also for the opportunity to explore these questions in greater depth and exchange ideas with fellow conference participants.  If you, as a reader of this blog, are planning on attending, please do find me and introduce yourself.

    For more information about the conference please visit the dedicated website.

     

    Nathalie Spencer is a Senior Researcher in the Social Brain Centre

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    5 Comments

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    • Picture of Wendy

      I'd be delighted to share. What is the best way of connecting?

    • Picture of Nathalie

      Wendy, thanks for your comment. Indeed one of the things we are interested in is what are the psychological barriers or what prevents (and conversely, what motivates) people from doing something - whether that be entrepreneurs hiring their first employee or people worried about climate change behaving more pro-environmentally. As you say, it is interesting to think about what might be preventing people from speaking out against certain situtations or risks. I'd be interested in hearing more about your work.

    • Picture of Wendy

      I am so pleased to see this consideration being taken into account. I work with many whistleblower policy makers who focus only on the rules and regulation without any thought applied to the social psychology that prevents individuals from speaking out. My call is for academics, law and policy makers not to placate themselves with a 'sound' law/policy without acknowledging that it is human behaviours that drive any process, not vice versa.