Should Behavioral Insights be integrated into the whole process?
This is what Marion Dupoux and her team argue in their recent publication: Unlocking the full potential of behavioural insights for policy
In the paper they conclude that “BI can inform a wide range of policies, as well as their interconnections within and across policy areas”.
To do this they describe how you can go from interventions to systemic change.
1. They describe five levels of BI Application:
-Behavioural intervention – Targets individual actions (e.g., nudges, boosts). -Single policy – Supports the development of individual policy tools (both traditional and behavioural). -Policy mix – Aligns policy tools toward a shared objective. -Policy interconnection – Examines interactions between policies from a behavioural standpoint. -System – Identifies leverage points where behavioural analysis can shape policy tools.
2. They also describe how behavioral insights would work at each level:
-Behavioural intervention – Uses nudges and boosts to influence behaviour. -Single policy – Analyses behavioural factors within a policy context. -Policy mix – Integrates BI to optimize the overall policy design. -Policy interconnection – Identifies fragmentation issues across policies. -System – Maps stakeholders, behaviours, and relationships for systemic improvements.
3.Finally they describe the why:
-Influence individual behaviour and improve communication. -Ground policy choices in behavioural science. -Create synergies between policy tools. -Ensure coherence across different policies. -Achieve systemic change by tackling behavioural barriers.
The image attached from the authors in the wheel then describes how behavioral insights would be integrated into the policy cycle.
The paper is really worth a read.. i’ll leave it in the comments.
This is a welcome approach and I hope more teams will start to approach change more holistically.