Is Behavioural Public Policy (BPP) about correcting biased decisions or working with people’s adaptive heuristics? This blog argues the ‘rationality wars’ are not new, and the plurality of rationality can be an asset. … More The ‘rationality wars’ in BPP: Why they persist and how to move beyond them
Much of public life is built on the assumption we act honestly with one another and with the state. But self-interest and wider perceptions of corruption and trust might lead to dishonest behaviour. Can we encourage more honesty through a simple nudge? … More Promoting Our Better Angels in Public Life: Can we Nudge People Honest?
A one-size-fits-all approach to nudging can be ineffective, or even backfire. Personalising nudges is a way of recognising and acting upon known heterogeneity across and within groups of people to deliver successful behaviour change. … More How Can We Personalise Nudges?
Adam Oliver (LSE) describes how he became involved in the field of behavioural public policy, detailing hw the intellectual architecture came into existence and his hopes for how it might develop in the future. This blog was written ahead of his 9 December 2024 LSE inaugural lecture on the same topic.
Erik Angner argues that, far from being “a made-up Nobel” economics is the most suitable discipline for a Nobel prize: Economics is about helping people live lives worth living.,Nobody illustrates this point better than this year’s laureate. … More Economics deserves its Nobel
Without deliberate investigation of the methods required to systematically improve the take-up of evidence in real-world settings, at scale, grounded in an understanding of scalability, the impact of behavioural public policy to shift behaviours where it truly matters is severely curtailed.
An implementation science for behavioural public policy is crucial if, as researchers, we want to effect real change. … More A Science for Implementing Behavioural Science
People in Europe responded quickly to the invasion of Ukraine with an unusually warm welcome to refugees and direct generosity in support. In stark contrast to the response to previous crises. Tony Hockley argues that this dichotomy stems from the deep-rooted human instinct for reciprocity within groups, with strong benefits but also a “dark side”. Much of the response has been in individual action, which some argue detracts from collective effort. But these actions may have beneficial spillovers, additional to the benefits of collective charity. The policy challenge will be to ensure that the motivation for action is sustained, and that the new-found generosity sets a powerful benchmark for future crises … More War & Altruism
In the blog Sanchayan Banerjee & Peter John overcome nostalgia for “nudge plus” and herald the new dawn of Nudge+. Is this a more distinctive depiction of the research agenda encouraging people to reflect on the choices they face? Does it more successfully stress the link to the “nudge” yet transform it with its subliminal radicalism? The authors deliberate and decide. … More To Nudge Plus or Nudge+ A dilemma
The history of civilisation is really the story of how we leaned to trust. In this blog Ben Ho considers research showing how fear brings people together and builds trust of outsiders. Through experiments in South Korea during the Covid pandemic it was possible to record feelings of fear and acceptance of outsiders. Those with the most fear recorded the highest increases in trust. How we respond to fear can give us hope for the future. … More Why Trust Matters
The IBPPA launched in April 2021 in partnership with the journal. Membership brings a range of opportunities and tangible benefits. Find out the launch, future plans, and how to join. … More International Behavioural Public Policy Association