Changing behaviour

• Whilst governments have always been implicated in shaping the behaviour of subjects or citizens, a more explicit governmental agenda of ‘behaviour change’ has shaped recent public policy formation.
• Novel insights from behavioural economics, psychology, marketing and design disciplines have been influential in developing this emerging policy agenda.
• Behaviour change policies are founded on a conception of the human subject as error-prone, vulnerable to manipulation and emotional impulse, and often self-defeating and irrational.
• Policy initiatives and nudges have been developed via experimental trials which have often been centrally organised by special behavioural insight units of national governments.
• The behaviour change agenda raises important political and ethical issues concerning transparency, openness to public deliberation, the legitimacy of paternalism and their potential cumulative impact on individuals and populations.