Tag: public policy

Is a transparent nudge a better one? The evidence paints a mixed picture

August 24, 2026

The worry is that nudges may bypass deliberate choice-making and leave people feeling manipulated by steering behaviour without their awareness. The most popular response is simply to tell people they are being nudged through a disclosure message attached to the intervention. But does disclosing a nudge actually make people feel more in control? And does it make the nudge any more effective? … More Is a transparent nudge a better one? The evidence paints a mixed picture

Eco home with solar panels, rooftop garden, and surrounding neighborhood

Why Don’t People Retrofit? Lessons from Behavioural Science and Community Co-Creation

August 18, 2026

Achieving net zero will require transforming the homes we already live in, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Retrofitting will depend on technologies, finance, and infrastructure – and also on trust, participation, and collective ownership. It is about working with the people who live in them. … More Why Don’t People Retrofit? Lessons from Behavioural Science and Community Co-Creation

Dice with honesty integrity cheating words

Ought ≠ Is: No Evidence for an ‘Honesty Premium’ in Public Sector Culture

April 30, 2026

Does a public sector culture promotes honesty among workers?Through randomised trials in five countries, this research finds no evidence that activating a public sector identity reduces cheating. Policymakers should implement concrete measures for integrity instead of relying on assumed virtues … More Ought ≠ Is: No Evidence for an ‘Honesty Premium’ in Public Sector Culture

Sludge and the Behavioural Science of Friction

March 9, 2026

Sludge hinders people in achieving their objectives by making things harder. Sludge audits are increasingly popular, but where can and should sludge research go next? … More Sludge and the Behavioural Science of Friction

Why Policy Design Must Account for the Psychology of Compliance

February 23, 2026

Policies designed to encourage people to speak up – from whistleblower protections to conflict-of-interest disclosures – often fail because they address informational barriers, not social ones. Effective policy must reduce the social cost of dissent, not just permit it. … More Why Policy Design Must Account for the Psychology of Compliance

Can a digital nudge clean up the streets? How Behavioural Science helped reduce littering in the UK

November 14, 2025

Littering is one of those persistent public problems that often feels unsolvable. Campaigns urging people to “do the right thing” rarely lead to lasting behaviour change, and enforcement is costly. A behaviourally-informed digital intervention is tested and shown to shift public habits more effectively. … More Can a digital nudge clean up the streets? How Behavioural Science helped reduce littering in the UK

Getting people to the door, and through it: Lessons on improving take-up of public programs

November 6, 2025

Public programs often struggle to reach the people they are meant to help. In this blog post, Christian Schimpf, Vince Hopkins, Priscilla Fisher, and Jeff Dorion explain how behaviourally-informed email messages can successfully encourage enrolment in employment services. … More Getting people to the door, and through it: Lessons on improving take-up of public programs

Beyond Simplistic Narratives: The META-BI Framework for Nudges in Behavioural Public Policy

October 6, 2025

When we talk about behavioural interventions, we often need to simplify complex concepts, but this can leave critical questions unanswered. The META-BI framework provides shared terminology to foster clearer and more productive behavioural science discussions, across disciplines and with practitioners. … More Beyond Simplistic Narratives: The META-BI Framework for Nudges in Behavioural Public Policy

How Can We Personalise Nudges?

September 8, 2025

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?

Eat Out to Help Out, Five Years On: A Forgotten Case Study in Behavioural Design

August 26, 2025

For all the controversy, Eat Out to Help Out was a rare thing: a government incentive that was behaviourally sharp — and actually worked. Its lessons have been forgotten. That’s a waste. … More Eat Out to Help Out, Five Years On: A Forgotten Case Study in Behavioural Design