A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social and behavioral scientists
The story of the book ‘Nudge’ offers insights into what can happen when research has an unpredictably large impact in the world of politics and policy
If the promises of behavioral science can be believed, the UK government’s use of it would potentially minimize economic disruption while still tackling the crisis. This is because, in theory, behavioral science can achieve desirable behaviors without significantly impacting other day-to-day activities. However, the question is whether in practice behavioral science is helping to mitigate disaster.
In this Social Science Bites podcast, experimental psychologist David Halpern, the British Nudge Unit’s chief executive, offers interviewer David Edmonds a quick primer on nudging, examples of nudges that worked (and one that didn’t), how nudging differs between the UK and the United States, and the interface of applied nudging and academic behavioral science.
Evidence shows that the Australian government’s ‘nudge unit’ may be the wrong way to address major problems like inequality, argue Andrew Frain and Randal Tame.
The White House’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Team has done an impressive job so far in using small, inexpensive changes to make federal policies better serve citizens.
The Global Insights Initiative, with its intriguing acronym of GINI, will bring experimentation to the World Bank’s poverty-fighting efforts by incorporating behavioral and social science into its project design and evaluation.
While there are ample perspective benefits to behavioral nudges in the creation of public policy, make sure the nudges are designed for real people and not some rational superbeing.
When governments nudge people to do healthful things it IS a little bit like 1984, says Mike Marinetto. But it’s more like a big brother than Big Brother, he adds.
