About the workshop
Over the last decade the use of behavioural economics and behavioural insights has led to significant improvements in the evaluation and formulation of public policies in a wide range of important areas including, for example:
- Strengthening public finances through better tax collection procedures
- Creating more jobs through a better understanding of micro-finance systems
- Increasing public participation in vaccination and disease prevention programmes
- Raising attendance levels and learning standards in primary schools
- Reducing gender bias and child poverty by creating more active roles for women in local government
- Facilitating greater access to clean water in rural communities.
Major UK organisations that use behavioural insights include the Cabinet Office, the Bank of England, and the National Health Service, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and non-government organisations such as Oxfam. Leading private sector firms such as Google, Hyundai, Swiss Re, Visa and banks also use behavioural insights to better understand how to make good use of their resources.
The World Bank has devoted its World Development Report for 2015, “Mind, Society and Behaviour”, to the topic of behavioural insights. It states that “the promise of this behavioural approach to decision-making is enormous…..its scope of application is extremely wide.” The European Commission has also established a Foresight and Behavioural Insights Unit and has recently published a report on “Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy: European Report 2016.” That report says “there is a growing recognition that behavioural insight – by focusing on how people actually make choices – contribute to more target and effective policy solutions.”
This one-week professional development workshop is designed to familiarise you with the concept of behavioural insights, randomised control trials and experimental economics and give you a clear understanding and appreciation of the potential for using behavioural insights to improve policy making.
Who is it for?
The workshop is designed for people involved in the policy making process, including policy formulation, implementation, evaluation and improvement. It will be valuable for senior and middle level staff working:
- at the centre of Government in a central policy review unit
- at the sector level carrying out key tasks to ensure that public services are delivered for the public in an effective and efficient way
- in public sector reform units and institutional renewal programmes
- at the local government level where public services are delivered at the grass roots level
- at parastatal level in semi-commercial circumstances where it is necessary to understand the behaviour of customers and clients
- in development agencies working with governments, NGOs and the private sector to fight poverty, promote economic growth and improve the quality of citizens’ lives.
If you would like to explore the technical aspects of the topic, such as the detailed design and conduct of random controlled trials, we can arrange this separately, up to the level of a Masters Degree.
How participants will benefit
The workshop will give you:
- an understanding of how behavioural insights are becoming increasingly relevant in a fast-changing world
- an introduction to the latest techniques used by leading practitioners in this relatively new area of public administration
- exposure to what other countries are doing with the use of behavioural insights
- access to an international network of experts who are leaders in this rapidly evolving area of work
- an opportunity to develop and refine your policy making skills with the aim of making significant improvements in the lives of people directly affected by the policies