Behaviour insights

Applying the results of behaviour sciences to policy making

Abstract

Behaviour insights are increasingly being recognised in the last years by major international bodies (European Commission, OECD, World Bank) as an efficient tool in policy making. In the United Kingdom, an advisory body was set up by the government in 2010 to study behaviour insights (Behaviour Insights Team) and from 2015, an Executive Order calls for Federal Agencies in the United States of America to design government policies using findings of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. The Netherlands, Germany, France and Denmark also address this issue in different institutional structures. This paper reviews the theory of behaviour insights and describes some of its practices in health promotion. To sum it up, applying behaviour insights can improve the efficiency of health promotion measures, as well, however, at the moment there are a number of issues to consider in relation to its legitimacy, effectiveness and scientific foundations. In order to apply behaviour insights in a transparent and consistent way, future evaluation of the interventions’ effectiveness as well as exchanging experiences are advised.