Behavioural Public Policy
Interdisciplinary journal, published by Cambridge University Press. Launched in 2017
- The ‘rationality wars’ in BPP: Why they persist and how to move beyond them 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.
- Can a digital nudge clean up the streets? How Behavioural Science helped reduce littering in the UK 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.…
- Getting people to the door, and through it: Lessons on improving take-up of public programs 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…
- Promoting Our Better Angels in Public Life: Can we Nudge People Honest? 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…
- Giving Workers a Voice Boosts Productivity What if the secret to boosting productivity isn’t stricter rules or higher pay, but something as simple as giving workers a voice? Sherry Jueyu Wu shares a field experiment from the production floors of a Chinese factory, which asked whether participatory…
- Beyond Simplistic Narratives: The META-BI Framework for Nudges in Behavioural Public Policy 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…
- How Can We Personalise Nudges? 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.
- Algorithms and Autonomy: Regulating Recommender Systems in the Age of Hyper-Nudging Recommender systems are online algorithms that can help users, reducing complexity and search costs. But they also target and exploit behavioral biases. Recommender systems lend themselves to regulation through…
- When and how behavior change can accelerate system change (and vice versa): Mapping reciprocal processes for climate change mitigation System change and individual behavior change are often conceptualized as mutually exclusive strategies for climate change mitigation – but what if this duality is…
- Beyond Technical Safeguards: Human Behaviour is the Missing Piece in AI Safety AI safety discussions predominantly focus on easy to conceptualise, highly salient risks including algorithm bias, hallucinations and disinformation. While these are crucial concerns, they overlook a fundamental truth…
- IBPPA Blog: Reflections from the 2025 Singapore Workshop From keynote visions of ‘Behavioural AI’ to field experiments on job matching and green transport, the 2025 BPP Workshop in Singapore showcased how rigorous behavioural science meets real-world policy. Two days blended cross-disciplinary…
- Yes we can! Collective action framing increases support for hard climate policies What if climate communication could enhance support for unpopular but necessary policies? Valerie Dewaelheyns and colleagues show that collective action framing can increase public acceptance of climate adaptation…
- From AC to me: Can social norms encourage personal cooling in Chinese offices? As global temperatures rise, so does our reliance on air conditioning (AC), which accounts for 7% of global electricity use in 2022. But what if the solution to sustainable cooling is not just about better AC technology…
- How can academia and government work together better to make evidence-based policy? Academics and civil servants have an interest in effective collaboration and “knowledge exchange”, including the sharing of ideas, evidence and expertise. However, the two sectors have different ways of operating…
- Nudging Tax Compliance in Pakistan: Lessons from a Large-Scale Text Message Experiment Tax compliance remains a thorny issue for governments worldwide—especially in developing countries where informal economic activity, mistrust in government, and limited enforcement capacity create persistent…
- Seeing is believing: Information does not impact polluting behaviour, unless you can see it Air pollution is a worldwide challenge. Despite the serious environmental and health effects, pollution can go unnoticed until very dangerous levels are reached. Rita Abdel Sater, Mathieu Perona, Elise…
- From Resistance to Acceptance: Making Climate Policies Work for People The IPCC suggest that a further 40-70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could be achieved with more extensive sustainable behaviour change. Yet, when this change impinges on our daily lives, some initial pushback is…
- The Ethics of Behavioural Public Policy in Practice: A Study on Policy Makers’ Views Mathieu Prevelato introduces a new study exploring policy makers’ views on the ethics of behavioural public policy, and invites feedback on it.
- Every little hurts: Even small amounts of ‘sludge’ undermine the adoption of environmentally friendly business practices Policymakers often introduce programs to encourage businesses to adopt environmentally friendly practices. But even minor administrative hurdles - known as "sludge" - can…
- Corporate needs you to handle misinformation yourself – behavioural science can help Misinformation thrives in an environment where platform providers shape the rules yet evade responsibility. As companies like Meta and X dismantle fact-checking and relax content moderation, users are left to…
- Conserving nothing but trouble? Ivo Vlaev and Marco J Haenssgen argue that research and policy collaboration with indigenous communities is key to long term conservation success.
- Happy new year 2025 from the IBPPA! In our first blogpost of 2025, Leonhard Lades and Kate Laffan look ahead to the exciting events and opportunities for the IBPPA community. Hope you can join us! Get involved, stay informed, become a member. A lot is happening in the world of behavioural public…
- Why New Year’s resolutions matter: The psychology behind the tradition Ivo Vlaev, Professor of Behavioural Science, University of Warwick New Year’s resolutions represent more than just a fleeting tradition; they offer a powerful opportunity for self-reflection and intentional growth. Rooted in…
- In 2025 my colleagues Manu Savani (Brunel) & Andriy Ivchenko (LSE) will run these BPP accounts for @cambridgeup.bsky.social. We're looking forward to the year. Do think about joining the IBPPA. See you at our 2025 events Tony @tonyhockley.bsky.social (LSE) www.ibppa.org
- Meat, masculinity & freedom; a challenge for behavioural policy bppblog.com/2024/12/26/m... #behavsci #behaviouralscience #masculinity #menshealth #climatechange #meat #veganuary
- Some very tempting titles on this list
- Fancy a Christmas read? #BehaviouralScience
- Do read this really engaging new article on our Firstview page. @chiaravara.bsky.social & Cale Hubble reflect on the state-of-play in BPP and the areas of challenge ahead. This draws on a huge amount of practical policy experience around the world👇 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy📣 We're recruiting for TWO new Assistant Professors: 1️⃣ Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science ⏳ Closing date: Sunday 9 February 2025 🔗 jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/... 2️⃣ Assistant Professor in Social Psychology ⏳ Closing date: Sunday 2 March 2025 🔗 jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy📣📣📣 #EconSky Inspired by @tapiorasanen.bsky.social, here is a starter pack for economists conducting field experiments 🤓🫶 Please let me know who is missing – and share widely! 🚀 go.bsky.app/9hev4gNat://did:plc:efopkricnjom2wlhhibnlzzn/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3ld55rd6qhw2g
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public PolicyPhD in social psychology/behavioral science 👇 Details on PhD funding for applicants here: www.westminster.ac.uk/study/postgr... Please get in touch before you apply
- Reminder: The next IBPPA online seminar is tomorrow, with Moira Nicholson (UK Cabinet Office) on AI in policy delivery #behaviouralscience #AI #publicpolicy #government www.ibppa.org/event-detail...
- 6.30pm (GMT/UTC) today www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2024/...
- On the political economy of field experiments in policy. Found on RePEc/IDEAS: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura... 💡
- Webinar on vaccine uptake, Thursday Dec 12th @ecdc.europa.eu
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Next Week - the next IBPPA online seminar: Using behavioural science in public sector AI rollouts. All IBPPA members welcome, as usual. Weds, December 11, 3pm (GMT/UTC). For others, do check out the membership details, the seminars and other benefits on the website www.ibppa.org/post/ibppa-o...
- The topic of speaking up against misogyny has dominated UK headlines over the weekend (Search Gregg Wallace for the story). Time to revisit this 2019 blog by Cass Sunstein on the conditions in which complainants help stimulate a movement for change in behavioural norms bppblog.com/2019/02/25/h...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- ICYMI - A link to the Ryan Oprea paper challenging Prospect Theory’s heuristics & biases www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- What should a regulator do when faced with a range of outcomes (incl. disaster) + unknown probabilities? In the latest addition to our #Firstview page, Cass Sunstein ponders the best way we can sleep well at night despite such difficulties #BehaviouralScience www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Are academics trapped by norms of fly-in fly-out conferences? How might change happen? In our blog bppblog.com/2023/05/03/s... @ryankatzrosene.bsky.social #flying-less #aviation #climatecrisis #travel
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- How small changes can have big effects: Cass Sunstein & Lucia Reisch writing for our blog a few years ago #BehSci #BehaviouralScience #Nudge bppblog.com/2018/01/25/r...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Two inaugural lectures coming up soon, telling tales of behavioural public policy ...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Our good friend Christina Gravert is on the search for 2 fully-funded PhD scholars to join the team in Copenhagen. Deadline for applications 15th January. Full details 👇 jobportal.ku.dk/phd/?show=16...
- We need a bigger tent …
- On the challenges of targeting systems for behavioural change, instead of individuals - Latest (open access) article on our Firstview page www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- Reposted by Behavioural Public Policy[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Behavioural Public PolicyThis paper by @mariogollwitzer.bsky.social, @stephannuding.bsky.social, @rolandimhoff.bsky.social, et al may become one of the most important of all behavioral science during/since 2020. Psychological research *was no less rigorous* during pandemic; may even have improved some.
