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.
It is tempting to justify contrasting standards with regard to public acceptance of nudges between developed and developing country contexts. This is a slippery slope that has, in the past, led to harmful interventions. As behavioural tools become more widely used there is a need to re-examine these issues. Public acceptance may seem like a difficult litmus test in some countries, but failure may simply indicate that policymakers are trying to change too much, too fast. Creating demand for behaviour change is an important first step. … More Nudge acceptance in Developing Countries: Ethical (or Unnecessary) Litmus Test?