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Inside the Nudge Unit: How Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
Every day we make countless decisions, from the small, mundane things to tackling life’s big questions, but we don’t always make the right choices.
Behavioural scientist Dr David Halpern heads up Number 10’s ‘Nudge Unit’, the world’s first government institution that uses behavioural economics to examine and influence human behaviour, to ‘nudge’ us into making better decisions. Seemingly small and subtle solutions have led to huge improvements across tax, healthcare, pensions, employment, crime reduction, energy conservation and economic growth.
Adding a crucial line to a tax reminder brought forward millions in extra revenue; refocusing the questions asked at the job centre helped an extra 10 per cent of people come off their benefits and back into work; prompting people to become organ donors while paying for their car tax added an extra 100,000 donors to the register in a single year.
After two years and dozens of experiments in behavioural science, the results are undeniable. And now David Halpern and the Nudge Unit will help you to make better choices and improve your life.
Behavioural scientist Dr David Halpern heads up Number 10’s ‘Nudge Unit’, the world’s first government institution that uses behavioural economics to examine and influence human behaviour, to ‘nudge’ us into making better decisions. Seemingly small and subtle solutions have led to huge improvements across tax, healthcare, pensions, employment, crime reduction, energy conservation and economic growth.
Adding a crucial line to a tax reminder brought forward millions in extra revenue; refocusing the questions asked at the job centre helped an extra 10 per cent of people come off their benefits and back into work; prompting people to become organ donors while paying for their car tax added an extra 100,000 donors to the register in a single year.
After two years and dozens of experiments in behavioural science, the results are undeniable. And now David Halpern and the Nudge Unit will help you to make better choices and improve your life.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 15, 2016
Q:
For Aristotle, the pursuit of ‘eudaimonia’ – let’s call it happiness for the moment – was the ultimate objective in life, since all other goals, be they material or spiritual, were a means to this end. He saw it as a distinguishing feature of humans that we could use our reasoning to choose actions that would attain this state: seeing through momentary pleasures, or discomforts, to fashion a life of virtue, intellectual curiosity and friendship, and through these attain a deep sense of what we would call well-being. Happiness was not just a fleeting mental state, but ‘an activity of the soul’, and one that took a lifetime to achieve: ‘for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy’.
(c)
Q:
‘Radical incrementalism’ is the idea that dramatic improvements can be achieved, and are more likely to be achieved, by systematically testing small variations in everything we do, rather than through dramatic leaps in the dark. For example, the dramatic wins of the British cycling team at the 2012 London Olympics are widely attributed to the systematic testing by the team of many variations of the bike design and training schedules. Many of these led to small improvements, such as getting the cyclists to bring their own pillows when away to reduce the likelihood of getting sick and missing training, but when combined created a winning team. Similarly, many of the dramatic advances in survival rates for cancer over the last 30 years are more due to constant refinements in treatment dosage and combination than to new ‘breakthrough’ drugs.
F-test!
(c)
Q:
Just because an approach is effective doesn’t mean that it’s right. Do nudges, and other behavioural approaches, wear off? If behavioural approaches are so powerful, should there be tighter limits and controls on those who use them, both in government and business?
(c)
Q:
The discussion is organised around three broad areas of concern: Lack of transparency – that behavioural approaches are too close to the dark arts of propaganda and subconscious manipulation (a concern of the right). Lack of efficacy – that behavioural approaches are an excuse for not acting more decisively and effectively (a concern of the left). Lack of accountability – that the behavioural scientists and decision-makers behind these approaches need to be more answerable to those they affect (a concern of liberals and democrats).
(c)
Q:
This is a concern that should be taken seriously. ‘Nudge-style’ approaches at their core are based on the idea that many decisions and behaviours are rooted in very rapid, often unconscious patterns of thought. If people tend to avoid the highest and lowest priced of a set of choices, be it a beer or a financial product, once sellers have this information they can ‘trick’ consumers into paying more by adding extra high-price items at the top and trimming out the lower price options. Similarly, armed with the knowledge that people strongly anchor to the default option, couldn’t governments and businesses get away with all kinds of mischief? The very automatic nature of such decision-making suggests that the skilled nudger can influence our behaviour without us even noticing.
In a strong form, one could argue that such approaches bring a lack of transparency and constrain freedom, and are even inherently antidemocratic since they are not consciously chosen by the citizens who are affected. Isn’t it, to use a word that would send shudders down the spine of any libertarian, manipulation?
It is this manipulation concern about nudging that strikes a particularly raw nerve in the USA, and one that Cass Sunstein especially had to wrestle with in the White House. It is an argument that he continues to wrestle with now that he has the freedom to write again back in academia. Similarly for Richard Thaler, always a Chicago economist at heart, this critique of nudging as ‘manipulation’ is one that he has always been extremely sensitive to.
For Sunstein and Thaler, the originators of the term ‘nudging’, their first response has always been that nudges should be both ‘choice-enhancing’ – or at least not choice-restricting – and transparent. In this sense, the nudge is to be seen as an alternative mandating or banning. For example, changing the default on a pension scheme from one that is an opt-in scheme for employees to an opt-out does not eliminate the choice. Employees are still free to opt out if they wish to do so. It is transparent what the choice is, and employees are informed by law about it. In contrast, in some western countries you are obliged to save – though you may have some choice about your pension provider.
(c)
For Aristotle, the pursuit of ‘eudaimonia’ – let’s call it happiness for the moment – was the ultimate objective in life, since all other goals, be they material or spiritual, were a means to this end. He saw it as a distinguishing feature of humans that we could use our reasoning to choose actions that would attain this state: seeing through momentary pleasures, or discomforts, to fashion a life of virtue, intellectual curiosity and friendship, and through these attain a deep sense of what we would call well-being. Happiness was not just a fleeting mental state, but ‘an activity of the soul’, and one that took a lifetime to achieve: ‘for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy’.
(c)
Q:
‘Radical incrementalism’ is the idea that dramatic improvements can be achieved, and are more likely to be achieved, by systematically testing small variations in everything we do, rather than through dramatic leaps in the dark. For example, the dramatic wins of the British cycling team at the 2012 London Olympics are widely attributed to the systematic testing by the team of many variations of the bike design and training schedules. Many of these led to small improvements, such as getting the cyclists to bring their own pillows when away to reduce the likelihood of getting sick and missing training, but when combined created a winning team. Similarly, many of the dramatic advances in survival rates for cancer over the last 30 years are more due to constant refinements in treatment dosage and combination than to new ‘breakthrough’ drugs.
F-test!
(c)
Q:
Just because an approach is effective doesn’t mean that it’s right. Do nudges, and other behavioural approaches, wear off? If behavioural approaches are so powerful, should there be tighter limits and controls on those who use them, both in government and business?
(c)
Q:
The discussion is organised around three broad areas of concern: Lack of transparency – that behavioural approaches are too close to the dark arts of propaganda and subconscious manipulation (a concern of the right). Lack of efficacy – that behavioural approaches are an excuse for not acting more decisively and effectively (a concern of the left). Lack of accountability – that the behavioural scientists and decision-makers behind these approaches need to be more answerable to those they affect (a concern of liberals and democrats).
(c)
Q:
This is a concern that should be taken seriously. ‘Nudge-style’ approaches at their core are based on the idea that many decisions and behaviours are rooted in very rapid, often unconscious patterns of thought. If people tend to avoid the highest and lowest priced of a set of choices, be it a beer or a financial product, once sellers have this information they can ‘trick’ consumers into paying more by adding extra high-price items at the top and trimming out the lower price options. Similarly, armed with the knowledge that people strongly anchor to the default option, couldn’t governments and businesses get away with all kinds of mischief? The very automatic nature of such decision-making suggests that the skilled nudger can influence our behaviour without us even noticing.
In a strong form, one could argue that such approaches bring a lack of transparency and constrain freedom, and are even inherently antidemocratic since they are not consciously chosen by the citizens who are affected. Isn’t it, to use a word that would send shudders down the spine of any libertarian, manipulation?
It is this manipulation concern about nudging that strikes a particularly raw nerve in the USA, and one that Cass Sunstein especially had to wrestle with in the White House. It is an argument that he continues to wrestle with now that he has the freedom to write again back in academia. Similarly for Richard Thaler, always a Chicago economist at heart, this critique of nudging as ‘manipulation’ is one that he has always been extremely sensitive to.
For Sunstein and Thaler, the originators of the term ‘nudging’, their first response has always been that nudges should be both ‘choice-enhancing’ – or at least not choice-restricting – and transparent. In this sense, the nudge is to be seen as an alternative mandating or banning. For example, changing the default on a pension scheme from one that is an opt-in scheme for employees to an opt-out does not eliminate the choice. Employees are still free to opt out if they wish to do so. It is transparent what the choice is, and employees are informed by law about it. In contrast, in some western countries you are obliged to save – though you may have some choice about your pension provider.
(c)
May 30, 2016
There's a lot of useful and interesting information in here, but I didn't feel like it provided me with a lot more insight than Nudge or Nudge, Nudge, Think Think. Like some other readers, I was disappointed to see that it didn't really offer any more insight into the operation of the Nudge unit than previous books, which would have offered something distinct and interesting. As with all books on behaviour change, I am always skeptical about how long the impact of interventions last, and in general when this is mentioned in this book, the follow up time (for very practical reasons, of course) is not really that long after. I had hoped that because the Nudge unit is rather practical and focussed on applied policy that there would be a more realistic assessment of the limitations and challenges of 'nudging', but really I felt like I was just reading an extended edition of the previous books. With that said, if you haven't read the previous books, and you are interested in behavioural change or 'nudging', then I would think you would enjoy this book a whole lot more.
May 22, 2020
It’s okay. Interesting enough. It seems to be setting out to reassure the public and convince government that nudge theory is a good thing, and thus Halpern goes through how it works (very interesting) and why it should be done (less interesting), giving quite a few examples - although he does tend to repeat some of the examples (eg the tax letter). In fact, the repetition is one of my criticisms - he labours his message, but is in danger of losing it among what sometimes feels like waffle (not least when he describes scenes like ministers grinning at his briefings).
It was published in 2015 and it now feels quite dated. It’s kind of awkward how close he is to Conservative ministers, and I cringed at his praise for Michael Gove. He heaps constant praise on David Cameron. At one point he says that lack of transparency is something that gives the political right concern. I would say that post-2016 the exact opposite is true! He presents libertarianism as positive, and he even foreshadows 2016 with a positive mention of non-binding advisory consultations of public. The politics feels really dated.
Nonetheless, I was really interested in the concepts of how to make nudge theory work. He briefly discusses the concept of MINDSPACE, before presenting EAST (what is it with acronyms and... government policy, strategy, social sciences?) as the underlying basis for nudge theory, weaving in a lot of case studies.
EAST:
Easy - make it easy, simplify, reduce friction, make something the default option.
Attract - personalise it, make the key point stand out, name the messenger, introduce emotion.
Social - social norms are very powerful, so highlight what others are doing. Recommendations from friends or colleagues. Pressure of reciprocity.
Timely - intervene before something becomes a habit, identify key moments to intervene, recognise the power of what came just before (ie subconscious cues).
MINDSCAPE:
Messenger - who is communicating it matters
Incentives - responses shaped by mental shortcuts like avoiding losses.
Norms - we are strongly influenced by what others do.
Defaults - we go with the flow of pre-set options.
Salience - our attention is drawn to what is novel and relevant to us.
Priming - our acts are influenced by subconscious cues.
Affect - our emotional associations can powerfully shape our actions.
Commitments - we seek to be consistent with our public promises, and reciprocate acts.
Ego - we act in ways that make us feel better about ourselves.
I also liked how he argued how immensely beneficial the introduction of Random Control Tests has been. Evidence-based policy and empirical approaches seem extremely sensible, and they are compellingly presented.
So the theory and examples are good. It’s mainly the politics I dislike.
It was published in 2015 and it now feels quite dated. It’s kind of awkward how close he is to Conservative ministers, and I cringed at his praise for Michael Gove. He heaps constant praise on David Cameron. At one point he says that lack of transparency is something that gives the political right concern. I would say that post-2016 the exact opposite is true! He presents libertarianism as positive, and he even foreshadows 2016 with a positive mention of non-binding advisory consultations of public. The politics feels really dated.
Nonetheless, I was really interested in the concepts of how to make nudge theory work. He briefly discusses the concept of MINDSPACE, before presenting EAST (what is it with acronyms and... government policy, strategy, social sciences?) as the underlying basis for nudge theory, weaving in a lot of case studies.
EAST:
Easy - make it easy, simplify, reduce friction, make something the default option.
Attract - personalise it, make the key point stand out, name the messenger, introduce emotion.
Social - social norms are very powerful, so highlight what others are doing. Recommendations from friends or colleagues. Pressure of reciprocity.
Timely - intervene before something becomes a habit, identify key moments to intervene, recognise the power of what came just before (ie subconscious cues).
MINDSCAPE:
Messenger - who is communicating it matters
Incentives - responses shaped by mental shortcuts like avoiding losses.
Norms - we are strongly influenced by what others do.
Defaults - we go with the flow of pre-set options.
Salience - our attention is drawn to what is novel and relevant to us.
Priming - our acts are influenced by subconscious cues.
Affect - our emotional associations can powerfully shape our actions.
Commitments - we seek to be consistent with our public promises, and reciprocate acts.
Ego - we act in ways that make us feel better about ourselves.
I also liked how he argued how immensely beneficial the introduction of Random Control Tests has been. Evidence-based policy and empirical approaches seem extremely sensible, and they are compellingly presented.
So the theory and examples are good. It’s mainly the politics I dislike.
November 24, 2020
David Halpern’s “Inside the Nudge Unit” is the perfect sequel to “Nudge”, Richard Thaler and Cass Sustein’s 2008 original book on applied Behavioral Economics.
“Nudge” launches the idea of how small and discrete incentivizing factors in the environment can influence or change behavior, while David Halpern’s “Inside the Nudge Unit” gives an account of practical policies carried out by the UK Government based on that idea: almost all 100% conceived, tested, learned and adapted measures, and their results.
The book is very rich in details and shows how effective those measures can be: from significantly reducing late tax payments after a simple change in the wording of warning letters sent prior to the due date appealing to herd behavior, to the increase in the number of unemployed finding new jobs just by making them plan their future job approaches instead of asking them what they have done in the past weeks.
Another very important discussion the author does not run away from is the ethics of the approach. Fortunately, I had just read Mark D. White’s “The Manipulation of Choice”, which gathers all the criticism against Behavioral Paternalism on the basis that it represents a danger to society, as “nudgers” are also human, thus subject to committing mistakes. D. Halpern emphasizes in response that every Government measure involves some use of power to reach certain predetermined goals. In democratic systems, the choice of such goals must have been approved in a certain way through a democratic means. Nudges put by governments are only means to increment the efficiency in achieving the intended goals without removing the options of the citizens.
Nudge-conceived measures never remove options, but only arrange them in a way to achieve such goals more effectively, bearing in mind scientific background which proves humans tend to choose poorly especially when choices are complicated and have long term consequences. By any means, the need for behavioral insights by Governments should be endorsed by the population and nudgers should be held accountable for the outcomes of their measures. Another interesting account is the growing interest from governments across the world in the theme. As the author puts it, “(...) nudging, the use of behavioral insights, and the experimental methods it has brought, are here to stay”.
Finally, D. Halpern recognizes that there is plenty of room for promising broader study and application of behavioral insights rather than just staying focused on the micro level: from the use of it allied with Big Data and AI to the avoidance of wars and armed conflicts.
This is among my best reads in 2020, second just to Angus Deaton and Anne Case’s “Deaths of Despair”.
“Nudge” launches the idea of how small and discrete incentivizing factors in the environment can influence or change behavior, while David Halpern’s “Inside the Nudge Unit” gives an account of practical policies carried out by the UK Government based on that idea: almost all 100% conceived, tested, learned and adapted measures, and their results.
The book is very rich in details and shows how effective those measures can be: from significantly reducing late tax payments after a simple change in the wording of warning letters sent prior to the due date appealing to herd behavior, to the increase in the number of unemployed finding new jobs just by making them plan their future job approaches instead of asking them what they have done in the past weeks.
Another very important discussion the author does not run away from is the ethics of the approach. Fortunately, I had just read Mark D. White’s “The Manipulation of Choice”, which gathers all the criticism against Behavioral Paternalism on the basis that it represents a danger to society, as “nudgers” are also human, thus subject to committing mistakes. D. Halpern emphasizes in response that every Government measure involves some use of power to reach certain predetermined goals. In democratic systems, the choice of such goals must have been approved in a certain way through a democratic means. Nudges put by governments are only means to increment the efficiency in achieving the intended goals without removing the options of the citizens.
Nudge-conceived measures never remove options, but only arrange them in a way to achieve such goals more effectively, bearing in mind scientific background which proves humans tend to choose poorly especially when choices are complicated and have long term consequences. By any means, the need for behavioral insights by Governments should be endorsed by the population and nudgers should be held accountable for the outcomes of their measures. Another interesting account is the growing interest from governments across the world in the theme. As the author puts it, “(...) nudging, the use of behavioral insights, and the experimental methods it has brought, are here to stay”.
Finally, D. Halpern recognizes that there is plenty of room for promising broader study and application of behavioral insights rather than just staying focused on the micro level: from the use of it allied with Big Data and AI to the avoidance of wars and armed conflicts.
This is among my best reads in 2020, second just to Angus Deaton and Anne Case’s “Deaths of Despair”.
May 19, 2024
Nice summary and inside view of the work the English Behavioural Insights Team did for the UK government and how to get behavioural insights to be used and applied to public policy.
Quotes:
In July 2010, much of this was still ahead. The BIT, or Nudge Unit as everyone soon called it, was the first of its kind in the world, applying behavioural science in a systematic way to a range of policies at the very heart of government p57
Behavioural approaches aren't just about invisible nudges that pull in a bit more tax revenue or help deliver on some worthy but distant outcome. At their best, such interventions are about understanding who we are; about connecting and communicating with each other better; and, frankly, about designing services for human beings, instead of 'econs’. p121
At the heart of this approach are measures that give consumers access to their own data in a more usable form. The idea is not so much that consumers will start analysing all these data themselves, though a few may do so. Rather, it is that access to these data enables switching sites and other intermediaries to act on consumers' behalf. P157
Elizabeth Dunn and others, 'If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right'. P237
having a good relationship with your boss is associated with dramatic increases in life satisfaction: rating your relationship with your boss just a single point higher (on a 10-point scale) has the statistically equivalent effect of a 30 per cent increase in your pay on your life satisfaction. P241
16 Helliwell, J.F. and Huang, H., (2010) 'How's the Job? Well-Being and Social Capital in the Workplace'. ILRREVIEW, Vol. 63 (2) http://digitalcommons.ilr. cornell.edu/ilrreview/vol63/iss2/2/
as Robert Frost put it, 'good fences make good neighbours
The way we use behavioural insight approaches is as a tool or lens through which to view all policy interventions P318
let me put it more strongly: I think it is unethical for governments not to do trials p328
https://www.slideshare.net/localinsig... (2012)
Quotes:
In July 2010, much of this was still ahead. The BIT, or Nudge Unit as everyone soon called it, was the first of its kind in the world, applying behavioural science in a systematic way to a range of policies at the very heart of government p57
Behavioural approaches aren't just about invisible nudges that pull in a bit more tax revenue or help deliver on some worthy but distant outcome. At their best, such interventions are about understanding who we are; about connecting and communicating with each other better; and, frankly, about designing services for human beings, instead of 'econs’. p121
At the heart of this approach are measures that give consumers access to their own data in a more usable form. The idea is not so much that consumers will start analysing all these data themselves, though a few may do so. Rather, it is that access to these data enables switching sites and other intermediaries to act on consumers' behalf. P157
Elizabeth Dunn and others, 'If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right'. P237
having a good relationship with your boss is associated with dramatic increases in life satisfaction: rating your relationship with your boss just a single point higher (on a 10-point scale) has the statistically equivalent effect of a 30 per cent increase in your pay on your life satisfaction. P241
16 Helliwell, J.F. and Huang, H., (2010) 'How's the Job? Well-Being and Social Capital in the Workplace'. ILRREVIEW, Vol. 63 (2) http://digitalcommons.ilr. cornell.edu/ilrreview/vol63/iss2/2/
as Robert Frost put it, 'good fences make good neighbours
The way we use behavioural insight approaches is as a tool or lens through which to view all policy interventions P318
let me put it more strongly: I think it is unethical for governments not to do trials p328
https://www.slideshare.net/localinsig... (2012)
January 24, 2018
Thought provoking read - 3.5+stars
I really liked this book - it was really interesting to hear the details of the Behavioral Insight Team. One of the leadership / behavioral takeaways is that if you want to make a change, think EAST - Easy, Attractive, Social (show that everyone is doing it) and Time (when most receptive).
The book is full of great examples and adds to much of what I have read in other books on the topic (Nudge by Thaler; Work Rules by Laszlo Bock)
I recommend this book to leaders who think about and deal with organizational change.
I really liked this book - it was really interesting to hear the details of the Behavioral Insight Team. One of the leadership / behavioral takeaways is that if you want to make a change, think EAST - Easy, Attractive, Social (show that everyone is doing it) and Time (when most receptive).
The book is full of great examples and adds to much of what I have read in other books on the topic (Nudge by Thaler; Work Rules by Laszlo Bock)
I recommend this book to leaders who think about and deal with organizational change.
June 7, 2017
Lots of inspiring case studies from the UK on how to use behavioural science to make government more efficient without sacrificing either citizens' freedom nor money.
Good intro to the EAST framework (make services Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely).
Reads like a business book, except that its change in the government sector, not the private sector that is encouraged. Lots of practical advice on both political, administrative, psychological factors on how to make policies evidence based.
Good intro to the EAST framework (make services Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely).
Reads like a business book, except that its change in the government sector, not the private sector that is encouraged. Lots of practical advice on both political, administrative, psychological factors on how to make policies evidence based.
January 2, 2020
Fascinating, both in terms of the technique and in how the UK government (in particular) began to use nudging. It is very welcome that that this recent edition of the book also at least attempts to engage with the concept and dangers of negative nudging (as might be seen in some recent votes in the UK and US) – sadly however the book has no answer to this other than a plea to nudge nicely….
June 5, 2025
If there is a real person describing their experience - it's a win. With references to actual research - it's a double win. Being far from inspiring or entertaining, this book is a must read for all undergrads looking forward to change the world through politics, reforms, communication.
February 9, 2022
Liked the narrative around this, and setting up the challenges of setting up the BIT, however the theory was lighter than Thaler and Sunstein and didn’t really advance knowledge
December 22, 2021
I had just read the 2021 updated version of Nudge by Sunstein and Thaler (having read the original version in 2011) and it was a four star read for me. If you only had time for one book, I'd pick Halpern's Inside the Nudge Unit over Nudge.
Like Nudge, Halpern's book will give you a decent understanding of what a "nudge" entails - essentially, it's "a means of encouraging and guiding behaviour, but without mandating or instructing, and ideally without the need for heavy financial incentives or sanctions….it avoids shutting down choices, unlike a law or formal requirement". Like Nudge, Halpern offers many examples to help unpack how humans (vs econs) think and operate and how the application of psychology and behavioral thinking in policymaking can help improve outcomes.
Halpern makes a compelling case for behavioural thinking in policymaking, noting that while laws and punishments are "reasonably effective at getting people to stop doing something, they are often much less effective at getting people to start doing something, and certainly to persist with it".
What made Inside the Nudge Unit the more compelling read, for me, was Halpern detailing how Halpern and his team gradually secured a place for behavioural insights into the policymakers' toolkit in the UK e.g. recognition of the power of defaults and "choice architecture". He describes the dynamics that the team had to navigate and why it can be so difficult for organisations to place a bet on a new idea:
"Telling the head of a large government department or organisation that you want to make a few changes in the way they run their operations is no small matter. For example, the head of a tax office in a medium-sized country will have 50-100,000 staff, and be responsible for collecting hundreds of billions of pounds in revenue that every other department will rely on. To those who have spent years oiling and tuning it, what to you looks like a 'few' ingenious changes will to them look like a dangerous risk of throwing grit into the cogs of their great machine. They know perfectly well that if the changes you make lead to things going wrong, tax collection not happening, or mistakes being made, support from your political masters will evaporate. And chances are, they'll have to pick up the pieces." Sometimes the roadblocks might be quasi-legal in nature - the wording of a form is specified in legislation. Or legacy IT systems that are difficult/expensive to change because "the contract with the IT provider was poorly written, which made any change prohibitively expensive".
Halpern also stresses the importance of ensuring that the team had the right combination of skills and capabilities:
[On the establishment of the new BIT in the Prime Minister's Office] "Rohan and Steve had become very concerned about who would lead the new team, a concern shared by Richard Thaler. The deputy director who had been chosen by the civil service to lead the team didn't really know much about behavioral economics or psychology. This is not unusual for the British civil service, which has a long tradition of putting people in charge of things that they don't know much about. It's generally considered that smart generalists can get the hang of most things, though it's not clear why you would want to move them on after 18 months once they had got the hang of it…[The team learned that] we needed a team who knew the behavioural literature; were capable of deploying robust methods for discerning 'what works'; and who knew their way around the political and administrative complexities of government. We strengthened our methods, bringing in PhD students strong in trial design and quantitative methods, and holding on to the best of them".
I was also struck by the ambitious and unambiguous objectives the BIT set for itself: "transform at least two major policy areas"; "spread understanding of behavioural approaches across Whitehall" and "achieve at least a tenfold return on the cost of the unit". More incredibly, the BIT subverted the "normal default of government teams" and explicitly stated that BIT would be shut on its second anniversary unless the PM and Cab Sec actively decided against doing so.
For someone working in, or interested in policy, Halpern's insider take on policy transformation and what it take for a central unit to try to shift the status quo is fascinating. Technical expertise is a given, as is political instincts and savvy:
"If the Nudge Unit was to survive in the vortex of No. 10, it had to offer advice and solutions to the PM and other Ministers that was distinctive from and value adding on all the other advice that poured in through the myriad meetings and river of aper that flows across Whitehall and into the PM's red box."
Halpern also describes the team's efforts to place well-being on the government's agenda:
"In the case of well-being, we found that the rare parts of the system that were interested in well-being pushed ahead, and the rest did the bureaucratic equivalent of raising an eye brow. The most rapid progress happened on measurement and data. But we found it much harder to get progress on policy…[When BIT organised workshops with senior civil servants to get them to think about when and where a well-being viewpoint might lead to different policy conclusions, they found that] people really enjoyed the sessions, just as they had those [BIT] had run on behavioural approaches, but then they went back to their departments and carried on their work largely unchanged. A key difference was that behavioural insights tools, such as MINDSPACE and EAST, could be applied to whatever Ministers and departments were already trying to do…In contrast, a session on subjective well-being wasn't just a new tool - it was a new objective".
So what are some of the key takeaways for policymakers:
- The MINDSPACE framework: Messenger, Incentives, Norms, Defaults, Salience, Priming, Affect, Commitments, Ego.
- The EAST framework: If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely.
- On Easy: Reducing friction (or what Thaler and Sunstein call "sludge") for people is key. Halpern argues that "much of what the tax authorities consider fraud and evasion are really more about people having better things to do than wade through the complexity of tax forms".
- On Social: Social norms are one of a number of pervasive social influences on our behavior. (This can be for better - e.g. encouraging pp to pay their taxes on time by flagging out that most other people pay taxes on time, or for worse, like when people are overestimate how common certain behaviors e.g. excessive drinking, having unprotected sex, cheating. So beware "inadvertently stumb[ling] into deploying them against yourself.) Another powerful one is reciprocity and even the simple act of asking from one person to another.
- Being Social is not just about social norms. It is "also about nurturing the human and personal touch in the design of services".
- While we may assume that it is attitudes that shape behaviours, psychological studies have shown that very often it works the other way around: behaviours shape attitudes". Moreover, "people and organisations are much more likely to do something if they were previously engaged in even a small commitment or helped build it themselves (the IKEA effect)".
- Finding the right data to design behavioral nudges: "Many businesses, and occasionally governments, have dabbled in the art of segmentation [e.g. coming up with archetypes like "soccer moms" or "Gen Z" or "aspirant working class"]…Segments can sound plausible and convincing - what is called surface validity - yet have more in common with a horoscope than a serious predictive model. Even if they are based on real data, such as socio-economic profiles and clusters of attitudes from survey data, this doesn't mean that they differentially predict what those people will do when faced with a real product choice, or whether they pay their tax on time…This means that the most valuable data is often behavioural: it's not what the person says, but what they do…often the most powerfully predictive data is incidental behaviour, such as whether the person opens the email, clicks on a link, or how fast they respond." Building behaviorally based segmentations is therefore more meaningful than segmentation by attitudes, socio-economic indicators and the like.
- Test test test to assess the effectiveness of your interventions. Look for areas well suited to low cost, rapid RCTs as a start. Halpern argues that "we need policymakers and practitioners to deliberately try out alternatives, and to admit that we often do not know what works best". He notes that "the dirty secret of much government policy and professional practice is that we really don't know if it is effective at all".
Like Nudge, Halpern's book will give you a decent understanding of what a "nudge" entails - essentially, it's "a means of encouraging and guiding behaviour, but without mandating or instructing, and ideally without the need for heavy financial incentives or sanctions….it avoids shutting down choices, unlike a law or formal requirement". Like Nudge, Halpern offers many examples to help unpack how humans (vs econs) think and operate and how the application of psychology and behavioral thinking in policymaking can help improve outcomes.
Halpern makes a compelling case for behavioural thinking in policymaking, noting that while laws and punishments are "reasonably effective at getting people to stop doing something, they are often much less effective at getting people to start doing something, and certainly to persist with it".
What made Inside the Nudge Unit the more compelling read, for me, was Halpern detailing how Halpern and his team gradually secured a place for behavioural insights into the policymakers' toolkit in the UK e.g. recognition of the power of defaults and "choice architecture". He describes the dynamics that the team had to navigate and why it can be so difficult for organisations to place a bet on a new idea:
"Telling the head of a large government department or organisation that you want to make a few changes in the way they run their operations is no small matter. For example, the head of a tax office in a medium-sized country will have 50-100,000 staff, and be responsible for collecting hundreds of billions of pounds in revenue that every other department will rely on. To those who have spent years oiling and tuning it, what to you looks like a 'few' ingenious changes will to them look like a dangerous risk of throwing grit into the cogs of their great machine. They know perfectly well that if the changes you make lead to things going wrong, tax collection not happening, or mistakes being made, support from your political masters will evaporate. And chances are, they'll have to pick up the pieces." Sometimes the roadblocks might be quasi-legal in nature - the wording of a form is specified in legislation. Or legacy IT systems that are difficult/expensive to change because "the contract with the IT provider was poorly written, which made any change prohibitively expensive".
Halpern also stresses the importance of ensuring that the team had the right combination of skills and capabilities:
[On the establishment of the new BIT in the Prime Minister's Office] "Rohan and Steve had become very concerned about who would lead the new team, a concern shared by Richard Thaler. The deputy director who had been chosen by the civil service to lead the team didn't really know much about behavioral economics or psychology. This is not unusual for the British civil service, which has a long tradition of putting people in charge of things that they don't know much about. It's generally considered that smart generalists can get the hang of most things, though it's not clear why you would want to move them on after 18 months once they had got the hang of it…[The team learned that] we needed a team who knew the behavioural literature; were capable of deploying robust methods for discerning 'what works'; and who knew their way around the political and administrative complexities of government. We strengthened our methods, bringing in PhD students strong in trial design and quantitative methods, and holding on to the best of them".
I was also struck by the ambitious and unambiguous objectives the BIT set for itself: "transform at least two major policy areas"; "spread understanding of behavioural approaches across Whitehall" and "achieve at least a tenfold return on the cost of the unit". More incredibly, the BIT subverted the "normal default of government teams" and explicitly stated that BIT would be shut on its second anniversary unless the PM and Cab Sec actively decided against doing so.
For someone working in, or interested in policy, Halpern's insider take on policy transformation and what it take for a central unit to try to shift the status quo is fascinating. Technical expertise is a given, as is political instincts and savvy:
"If the Nudge Unit was to survive in the vortex of No. 10, it had to offer advice and solutions to the PM and other Ministers that was distinctive from and value adding on all the other advice that poured in through the myriad meetings and river of aper that flows across Whitehall and into the PM's red box."
Halpern also describes the team's efforts to place well-being on the government's agenda:
"In the case of well-being, we found that the rare parts of the system that were interested in well-being pushed ahead, and the rest did the bureaucratic equivalent of raising an eye brow. The most rapid progress happened on measurement and data. But we found it much harder to get progress on policy…[When BIT organised workshops with senior civil servants to get them to think about when and where a well-being viewpoint might lead to different policy conclusions, they found that] people really enjoyed the sessions, just as they had those [BIT] had run on behavioural approaches, but then they went back to their departments and carried on their work largely unchanged. A key difference was that behavioural insights tools, such as MINDSPACE and EAST, could be applied to whatever Ministers and departments were already trying to do…In contrast, a session on subjective well-being wasn't just a new tool - it was a new objective".
So what are some of the key takeaways for policymakers:
- The MINDSPACE framework: Messenger, Incentives, Norms, Defaults, Salience, Priming, Affect, Commitments, Ego.
- The EAST framework: If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely.
- On Easy: Reducing friction (or what Thaler and Sunstein call "sludge") for people is key. Halpern argues that "much of what the tax authorities consider fraud and evasion are really more about people having better things to do than wade through the complexity of tax forms".
- On Social: Social norms are one of a number of pervasive social influences on our behavior. (This can be for better - e.g. encouraging pp to pay their taxes on time by flagging out that most other people pay taxes on time, or for worse, like when people are overestimate how common certain behaviors e.g. excessive drinking, having unprotected sex, cheating. So beware "inadvertently stumb[ling] into deploying them against yourself.) Another powerful one is reciprocity and even the simple act of asking from one person to another.
- Being Social is not just about social norms. It is "also about nurturing the human and personal touch in the design of services".
- While we may assume that it is attitudes that shape behaviours, psychological studies have shown that very often it works the other way around: behaviours shape attitudes". Moreover, "people and organisations are much more likely to do something if they were previously engaged in even a small commitment or helped build it themselves (the IKEA effect)".
- Finding the right data to design behavioral nudges: "Many businesses, and occasionally governments, have dabbled in the art of segmentation [e.g. coming up with archetypes like "soccer moms" or "Gen Z" or "aspirant working class"]…Segments can sound plausible and convincing - what is called surface validity - yet have more in common with a horoscope than a serious predictive model. Even if they are based on real data, such as socio-economic profiles and clusters of attitudes from survey data, this doesn't mean that they differentially predict what those people will do when faced with a real product choice, or whether they pay their tax on time…This means that the most valuable data is often behavioural: it's not what the person says, but what they do…often the most powerfully predictive data is incidental behaviour, such as whether the person opens the email, clicks on a link, or how fast they respond." Building behaviorally based segmentations is therefore more meaningful than segmentation by attitudes, socio-economic indicators and the like.
- Test test test to assess the effectiveness of your interventions. Look for areas well suited to low cost, rapid RCTs as a start. Halpern argues that "we need policymakers and practitioners to deliberately try out alternatives, and to admit that we often do not know what works best". He notes that "the dirty secret of much government policy and professional practice is that we really don't know if it is effective at all".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2019
I mean it's not a bad book but on behavioural economics there are countless of other books out there that describe the material covered here just as well if not better/more in depth. This book focuses more on the political process of getting the British government to accept and use insights from behavioural science (and creating the BIT/Nudge unit) which is interesting if you're into that kind of thing. I found it a bit boring.
February 18, 2016
I read this book after reading Nudge and Thinking slow & fast. It adds little in terms of behavioural insights. It does add policy to the equation
August 27, 2018
The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), also known unofficially as the "Nudge Unit", is an organisation that was set up to apply nudge theory (behavioural economics and psychology) to try to improve government policy and services as well as to save the UK government money.
Originally set up as a team within the Cabinet Office, it is now a limited company, Behavioural Insights Limited. It is headed by psychologist David Halpern. Although specific ideas devised by BIT have been imitated in several other countries, David Halpern suggests that the unit's underlying methodology has still not been widely understood. He said BIT's 'greatest legacy' would be not any individual behavioural insight, but its commitment to creating a set of variants on any given intervention and testing them against each other. He called the cycle of making variants, testing them, learning what works best and starting again from there "radical incrementalism".
The book states that if you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely (EAST). These four simple principles for applying behavioural insights are based on the Behavioural Insights Team’s own work and the wider academic literature.
There is a large body of evidence on what influences behaviour, and we do not attempt to reflect all its complexity and nuances here. But we have found that policy makers and practitioners find it useful to have a simple, memorable framework to think about effective behavioural approaches.
With this in mind, the principles from EAST are:
1. Make it Easy
· Harness the power of defaults. We have a strong tendency to go with the default or pre-set option, since it is easy to do so. Making an option the default makes it more likely to be adopted.
· Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. The effort required to perform an action often puts people off. Reducing the effort required can increase uptake or response rates.
· Simplify messages. Making the message clear often results in a significant increase in response rates to communications. In particular, it’s useful to identify how a complex goal can be broken down into simpler, easier actions.
2. Make it Attractive
· Attract attention. We are more likely to do something that our attention is drawn towards. Ways of doing this include the use of images, colour or personalisation.
· Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect. Financial incentives are often highly effective, but alternative incentive designs — such as lotteries — also work well and often cost less.
3. Make it Social
· Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Describing what most people do in a particular situation encourages others to do the same. Similarly, policy makers should be wary of inadvertently reinforcing a problematic behaviour by emphasising its high prevalence.
· Use the power of networks. We are embedded in a network of social relationships, and those we come into contact with shape our actions.
Governments can foster networks to enable collective action, provide mutual support, and encourage behaviours to spread peer-to-peer.
· Encourage people to make a commitment to others. We often use commitment devices to voluntarily ‘lock ourselves’ into doing something in advance. The social nature of these commitments is often crucial.
4. Make it Timely
· Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. The same offer made at different times can have drastically different levels of success.
Behaviour is generally easier to change when habits are already disrupted, such as around major life events.
· Consider the immediate costs and benefits. We are more influenced by costs and benefits that take effect immediately than those delivered later. Policy makers should consider whether the immediate costs or benefits can be adjusted (even slightly), given that they are so influential.
· Help people plan their response to events. There is a substantial gap between intentions and actual behaviour. A proven solution is to prompt people to identify the barriers to action, and develop a specific plan to address them.
The second half of the book is a little repetitive with few insights being added. But saying that, it's definitely worth reading if you want to enact effective change.
Originally set up as a team within the Cabinet Office, it is now a limited company, Behavioural Insights Limited. It is headed by psychologist David Halpern. Although specific ideas devised by BIT have been imitated in several other countries, David Halpern suggests that the unit's underlying methodology has still not been widely understood. He said BIT's 'greatest legacy' would be not any individual behavioural insight, but its commitment to creating a set of variants on any given intervention and testing them against each other. He called the cycle of making variants, testing them, learning what works best and starting again from there "radical incrementalism".
The book states that if you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely (EAST). These four simple principles for applying behavioural insights are based on the Behavioural Insights Team’s own work and the wider academic literature.
There is a large body of evidence on what influences behaviour, and we do not attempt to reflect all its complexity and nuances here. But we have found that policy makers and practitioners find it useful to have a simple, memorable framework to think about effective behavioural approaches.
With this in mind, the principles from EAST are:
1. Make it Easy
· Harness the power of defaults. We have a strong tendency to go with the default or pre-set option, since it is easy to do so. Making an option the default makes it more likely to be adopted.
· Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. The effort required to perform an action often puts people off. Reducing the effort required can increase uptake or response rates.
· Simplify messages. Making the message clear often results in a significant increase in response rates to communications. In particular, it’s useful to identify how a complex goal can be broken down into simpler, easier actions.
2. Make it Attractive
· Attract attention. We are more likely to do something that our attention is drawn towards. Ways of doing this include the use of images, colour or personalisation.
· Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect. Financial incentives are often highly effective, but alternative incentive designs — such as lotteries — also work well and often cost less.
3. Make it Social
· Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Describing what most people do in a particular situation encourages others to do the same. Similarly, policy makers should be wary of inadvertently reinforcing a problematic behaviour by emphasising its high prevalence.
· Use the power of networks. We are embedded in a network of social relationships, and those we come into contact with shape our actions.
Governments can foster networks to enable collective action, provide mutual support, and encourage behaviours to spread peer-to-peer.
· Encourage people to make a commitment to others. We often use commitment devices to voluntarily ‘lock ourselves’ into doing something in advance. The social nature of these commitments is often crucial.
4. Make it Timely
· Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. The same offer made at different times can have drastically different levels of success.
Behaviour is generally easier to change when habits are already disrupted, such as around major life events.
· Consider the immediate costs and benefits. We are more influenced by costs and benefits that take effect immediately than those delivered later. Policy makers should consider whether the immediate costs or benefits can be adjusted (even slightly), given that they are so influential.
· Help people plan their response to events. There is a substantial gap between intentions and actual behaviour. A proven solution is to prompt people to identify the barriers to action, and develop a specific plan to address them.
The second half of the book is a little repetitive with few insights being added. But saying that, it's definitely worth reading if you want to enact effective change.
July 9, 2021
Social Experimentation for Individual/Societal Benefit - I heard an interview on radio regarding this book, it brought back memories of my involvement in business and state change units utilizing applied behavioral science methods, enthused about use of experiments to determine administrative and regulatory practices and what actually works.
Author David Halperin, a Cambridge scholar, civil servant and social entrepreneur, relates creation and activities of the British Government’s Behavioural Insight’s Team (note the UK spelling) or Nudge Unit first during the Blair era and then in Cameron/Clegg Cabinet to “apply psychology to the challenges we face in the world today.”
Nudges are seemingly insignificant actions that can result in significant results in terms of public policy and governmental operations such as having people opt out of retirement withholding (rather than in), make timely payment of fines or taxes, installation of attic insulation. In addition to psychological research findings, these practices incorporate behavioral economics eventually to the treatment of e-cigarettes and now vaping (see also my review of Raskino and Waller's "Digital to the Core").
Within the book, Halpern proceeds through 12 chapters in four major sections: (1) A Short History of Nudging, (2) Changing the World a Nudge at a Time, (3) Behavioural Insights as a Policy Tool, and (4) Where Next?
Among my favorite parts included the author’s questioning of traditional assumptions/indicators of human rationality and progress along with his seeking of ways to better gage what contributes to well-being and mental health (e.g. see my reviews of Barrett’s "How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain" and Karabell’s "The Leading Indicators: A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World"). I also appreciated the quest for more realistic models of human decision making, use of experimental methods (e.g. see my review of Schrage’s "Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate") to pursue practical ways to foster people making better choices that benefit themselves as well as broader society. Then, there is Halpern’s extensive use of charts, diagrams, mnemonics such as MINDSPACE, APPLES, and EAST, related tables and illustrations (e.g. see EAST Table pg. 149) which are also most welcome.
As the author explains (on pg. 152), “Policy decisions are the lifeblood of government and many businesses, too. What to invest in and what to cut? Which rules and regulations to expand or create, and which to scrap? Where to push harder and where to back-off? If behavioural science – or any other new approach – is to prove itself . . . its proponents must make a difference [in this arena] or else be content to be a footnote in history. Furthermore, to make a real mark . . . the advice given has to prove right . . . [be] adopted, impactful and effective.” He continues (on pg. 155) “Human beings have limited ability to process information and we need to factor this in . . . More data [can] be just more noise. To get the benefits of a data-rich world, we have to build it around people’s mental capabilities and around behavioural insights.”
While it was interesting to learn that the Nudge Unit was eventually spun off to become a public/private independent joint venture, I would have appreciated more information about the way the transition to this public/private partnership occurred and is managed (perhaps refer to Taproot’s "Powered by Pro Bono: The Nonprofits Step-by-Step Guide to Scoping, Securing, Managing, and Scaling Pro Bono Resources"). Also, even though many events have ensued after this book appeared, I cannot help being curious about how such initiatives have fared since the Brexit vote and in the current public climate. From what we are learning, such ‘nudging’ has been used in a manipulative manner for political gain in recent years (e.g. see my review of Kissinger’s "World Order").
While such criticisms, dangers, and suspicion may be warranted, this book does provide us with behavioiural insights and how with experimentation such knowledge can be used for public good and to promote well-being and mental health.
Author David Halperin, a Cambridge scholar, civil servant and social entrepreneur, relates creation and activities of the British Government’s Behavioural Insight’s Team (note the UK spelling) or Nudge Unit first during the Blair era and then in Cameron/Clegg Cabinet to “apply psychology to the challenges we face in the world today.”
Nudges are seemingly insignificant actions that can result in significant results in terms of public policy and governmental operations such as having people opt out of retirement withholding (rather than in), make timely payment of fines or taxes, installation of attic insulation. In addition to psychological research findings, these practices incorporate behavioral economics eventually to the treatment of e-cigarettes and now vaping (see also my review of Raskino and Waller's "Digital to the Core").
Within the book, Halpern proceeds through 12 chapters in four major sections: (1) A Short History of Nudging, (2) Changing the World a Nudge at a Time, (3) Behavioural Insights as a Policy Tool, and (4) Where Next?
Among my favorite parts included the author’s questioning of traditional assumptions/indicators of human rationality and progress along with his seeking of ways to better gage what contributes to well-being and mental health (e.g. see my reviews of Barrett’s "How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain" and Karabell’s "The Leading Indicators: A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World"). I also appreciated the quest for more realistic models of human decision making, use of experimental methods (e.g. see my review of Schrage’s "Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate") to pursue practical ways to foster people making better choices that benefit themselves as well as broader society. Then, there is Halpern’s extensive use of charts, diagrams, mnemonics such as MINDSPACE, APPLES, and EAST, related tables and illustrations (e.g. see EAST Table pg. 149) which are also most welcome.
As the author explains (on pg. 152), “Policy decisions are the lifeblood of government and many businesses, too. What to invest in and what to cut? Which rules and regulations to expand or create, and which to scrap? Where to push harder and where to back-off? If behavioural science – or any other new approach – is to prove itself . . . its proponents must make a difference [in this arena] or else be content to be a footnote in history. Furthermore, to make a real mark . . . the advice given has to prove right . . . [be] adopted, impactful and effective.” He continues (on pg. 155) “Human beings have limited ability to process information and we need to factor this in . . . More data [can] be just more noise. To get the benefits of a data-rich world, we have to build it around people’s mental capabilities and around behavioural insights.”
While it was interesting to learn that the Nudge Unit was eventually spun off to become a public/private independent joint venture, I would have appreciated more information about the way the transition to this public/private partnership occurred and is managed (perhaps refer to Taproot’s "Powered by Pro Bono: The Nonprofits Step-by-Step Guide to Scoping, Securing, Managing, and Scaling Pro Bono Resources"). Also, even though many events have ensued after this book appeared, I cannot help being curious about how such initiatives have fared since the Brexit vote and in the current public climate. From what we are learning, such ‘nudging’ has been used in a manipulative manner for political gain in recent years (e.g. see my review of Kissinger’s "World Order").
While such criticisms, dangers, and suspicion may be warranted, this book does provide us with behavioiural insights and how with experimentation such knowledge can be used for public good and to promote well-being and mental health.
November 5, 2019
Certamente não conseguirei descrever aqui o impacto desse livro.
David Halpern foi um dos fundadores do BIT (Behavioural Insights Team) de Londres, uma das organizações mais importantes do mundo quando o assunto é Ciências Comportamentais aplicadas.
Junto ao governo Londrino, o BIT criou uma série de experimentos e intervenções comportamentais em diversos setores, como tributos, saúde, finanças, ajudando a população a tomarem melhores escolhas e o governo a gastar menos.
Halpern cita as dificuldades (quase o projeto fracassa e o BIT não existe) além de dar diversas dicas e frameworks utilizados por eles.
O que mais gostei aqui foi a ênfase dada pelo autor nas considerações que se deve levar em conta ao aplicar intervenções comportamentais. Uma delas é o rigor científico, basicamente o teste de hipóteses. O segundo ponto é sobre o contexto: a cultura de cada lugar deve ser levada em conta (um bom gancho com a Economia Experimental muito bem relatada no livro The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life. O terceiro é sobre os Dados: entender como se mensura, como extrair e trabalhar com dados é realmente importante para que se posa aplicar ciencias comportamentais.
Para quem já está familiarizado com os conceitos de Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, e Rápido e Devagar: Duas Formas de Pensar este aqui é um degrau acima e de extrema importância para quem atua na área de Ciências Comportamentais.
Recomendo. Link Amazon: Inside Nudge Unit
David Halpern foi um dos fundadores do BIT (Behavioural Insights Team) de Londres, uma das organizações mais importantes do mundo quando o assunto é Ciências Comportamentais aplicadas.
Junto ao governo Londrino, o BIT criou uma série de experimentos e intervenções comportamentais em diversos setores, como tributos, saúde, finanças, ajudando a população a tomarem melhores escolhas e o governo a gastar menos.
Halpern cita as dificuldades (quase o projeto fracassa e o BIT não existe) além de dar diversas dicas e frameworks utilizados por eles.
O que mais gostei aqui foi a ênfase dada pelo autor nas considerações que se deve levar em conta ao aplicar intervenções comportamentais. Uma delas é o rigor científico, basicamente o teste de hipóteses. O segundo ponto é sobre o contexto: a cultura de cada lugar deve ser levada em conta (um bom gancho com a Economia Experimental muito bem relatada no livro The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life. O terceiro é sobre os Dados: entender como se mensura, como extrair e trabalhar com dados é realmente importante para que se posa aplicar ciencias comportamentais.
Para quem já está familiarizado com os conceitos de Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, e Rápido e Devagar: Duas Formas de Pensar este aqui é um degrau acima e de extrema importância para quem atua na área de Ciências Comportamentais.
Recomendo. Link Amazon: Inside Nudge Unit
December 22, 2020
Really enjoyed the fairly unusual combination of psychology and behavioural science against the background of politics, government and public policy.
The key argument that a better understanding of how people think, feel and behave should be used to help shape the world in a more positive way makes a lot of sense. The book is packed with interested anecdotes, stories and mini case studies of the theory being put into action. Really like the honesty of not deciding an answer in advance, and testing options to see what works.
There’s also the added edge of how government and the civil service work which gives the book an added edge over more classic psychology texts. The fact that you recognise many of the names, and how some of the policy decisions were reached is fascinating.
Also liked how the author recognised and dealt with some of the challenges to this approach, that it is manipulative and unethical, and his views on this were full of common sense.
It’s generally easy to read, though at times when it gets into more abstract / conceptual areas, there’s a whiff of Sir Humphrey in Yes, Minister to some of the writing. He’s probably spent so long working with civil servants that some of the communication style has rubbed off, because occasionally I’d have to go back and re-read some sections to try and see what the point was.
But overall, this is an excellent read, and I got a lot out of it.
The key argument that a better understanding of how people think, feel and behave should be used to help shape the world in a more positive way makes a lot of sense. The book is packed with interested anecdotes, stories and mini case studies of the theory being put into action. Really like the honesty of not deciding an answer in advance, and testing options to see what works.
There’s also the added edge of how government and the civil service work which gives the book an added edge over more classic psychology texts. The fact that you recognise many of the names, and how some of the policy decisions were reached is fascinating.
Also liked how the author recognised and dealt with some of the challenges to this approach, that it is manipulative and unethical, and his views on this were full of common sense.
It’s generally easy to read, though at times when it gets into more abstract / conceptual areas, there’s a whiff of Sir Humphrey in Yes, Minister to some of the writing. He’s probably spent so long working with civil servants that some of the communication style has rubbed off, because occasionally I’d have to go back and re-read some sections to try and see what the point was.
But overall, this is an excellent read, and I got a lot out of it.
Want to read
July 18, 2020As a multiple degree qualified psychologist (in between getting earth science and history degrees), I'm interested in reading this, but I've ordered it from the library as I refuse to give these people a penny. They are no longer a government unit (set up by the Conservatives in 2010 to "direct behaviour") but a private limited company. I suppose this means they are consultants.
It's just that there's a dark side to nudging your citizens. For example this government campaign.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
So whether it works or not, and the evidence says it does, the ethics of nudging is what I have a problem with. The concept of nudge is that it is counter-productive of the state to direct people to achieve certain goals and more productive to coax them in a more low-profile manner.
This becomes a problem when more right wing governments try to use it to their advantage, as in Walthamstow, when school children were quizzed by the nudge unit on islamic radicalisation (which led to complaints by the Islamic Human Rights Commission).
Now we have Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings and co. using alleged behavioural research on how people will behave in a pandemic and making a right mess of governance.
I will be interested to see if the nudge unit contributed to this right royal turd-fest.
It's just that there's a dark side to nudging your citizens. For example this government campaign.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
So whether it works or not, and the evidence says it does, the ethics of nudging is what I have a problem with. The concept of nudge is that it is counter-productive of the state to direct people to achieve certain goals and more productive to coax them in a more low-profile manner.
This becomes a problem when more right wing governments try to use it to their advantage, as in Walthamstow, when school children were quizzed by the nudge unit on islamic radicalisation (which led to complaints by the Islamic Human Rights Commission).
Now we have Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings and co. using alleged behavioural research on how people will behave in a pandemic and making a right mess of governance.
I will be interested to see if the nudge unit contributed to this right royal turd-fest.
August 2, 2021
You really should read the book Nudge first, to really get the idea of Inside the Nudge Unit. Basically, 'nudging' is using behavioural science (psychology tricks) to influence how people behave - from eating habits to paying tax bills.
This book is interesting to those who enjoyed 'Nudge' as it shows how the principles in the original have been applied in practical terms to the UK government - which set up its own policy 'nudge unit'.
The fun part is the actual nudges, but DH does spend some time on how the government unit came about and gives a few insights into how government and civil service work.
He also spends some time on the ethical questions about 'nudging', which at the time I read this book was in the news: It is now the end of the Covid pandemic, and the Prime Minister is on record saying he would never allow identity cards. Stemming from this he said he would not force vaccinations by law. But he does seem to be encouraging business and government into mandating 'covid passports'. Some political commentators say this is 'nudging' into a forced government policy. The book was written a couple of yers prior to this issue coming up - but it does show there is a genuine pushback against being 'nudged' into things.
Anyway, the prose is readable, and the book not too long or academic. Give it a read.
This book is interesting to those who enjoyed 'Nudge' as it shows how the principles in the original have been applied in practical terms to the UK government - which set up its own policy 'nudge unit'.
The fun part is the actual nudges, but DH does spend some time on how the government unit came about and gives a few insights into how government and civil service work.
He also spends some time on the ethical questions about 'nudging', which at the time I read this book was in the news: It is now the end of the Covid pandemic, and the Prime Minister is on record saying he would never allow identity cards. Stemming from this he said he would not force vaccinations by law. But he does seem to be encouraging business and government into mandating 'covid passports'. Some political commentators say this is 'nudging' into a forced government policy. The book was written a couple of yers prior to this issue coming up - but it does show there is a genuine pushback against being 'nudged' into things.
Anyway, the prose is readable, and the book not too long or academic. Give it a read.
March 4, 2018
A few of the chapters I found to be a bit repetitive and got a bit lost in empirical data and experimental facts and figures, however as a whole the concept of the book really intrigued me. Of particular interest to me was the chapter on happiness and well-being: examining the keys to our own happiness and how we can make conscious choices to work towards that- and aim policies to encourage it. My favorite inquiry the book makes: we measure GDP so closely, yet we still don't have mechanisms to measure our resiliency, courage, wit, the strength of our relationships, and other things that are so much more intrinsic to our happiness and success.
If you can sift through the somewhat boring middle chunk, worth a read.
If you can sift through the somewhat boring middle chunk, worth a read.
December 10, 2016
Very enjoyable and fascinating. Even though my own personal politics takes a typically dim view of government interference in society, this was a superb book detailing the life of the BIT and the persuasion techniques used to deliver improved results.
Whether pro-nudge or sceptical of nudging, its one of the best in genre that I've read.
Though the term 'libertarian paternalism' is an offense to the language of political philosophy, this is just classic paternalism done with a bit of thinking.
Whether pro-nudge or sceptical of nudging, its one of the best in genre that I've read.
Though the term 'libertarian paternalism' is an offense to the language of political philosophy, this is just classic paternalism done with a bit of thinking.
January 14, 2018
I really liked the book in the beginning, with fun and inspiring ways to nudge (and not force by penalising or rewarding) people to improve. The focus in on governmental ways for this, with examples from the writer's experience in the UK.
But the book lost me a bit in the second half, it seemed repetitive and not adding new insights and information. Also, which was to be expected, it is very Anglo-Saxon, and while it acknowledges that, the writer seems to dismiss the other options and complexities.
Star deducted for the second half of the book.
But the book lost me a bit in the second half, it seemed repetitive and not adding new insights and information. Also, which was to be expected, it is very Anglo-Saxon, and while it acknowledges that, the writer seems to dismiss the other options and complexities.
Star deducted for the second half of the book.
January 13, 2021
This is a great book. A bit lengthy due to the inclusion of some superfluous anecdotes but they carry a degree of interest in themselves. I was aware of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and The Education Endowment Foundation prior to reading this book but wasn’t aware they were children of the Behavioural Insights Team. There’s a few key take-always from this book such as ‘the text of communications seeking specific behaviors, e.g. reminders etc, matters. Writing in specific ways can lead to significant response improvements.
June 26, 2017
It is a book with a very interesting subject matter - behavioural science. However, I am a bit disappointed the book is a bit different than what I thought it would be. I thought it would cover more the actual science part but as it turns out it is more about the history of how behavioural science become mainstream in government worldwide. It is still interesting nonetheless but just quite a bit different than what I expected.
June 13, 2019
It's a very good book about the emerging field of behavioral economics, and how it's being applied in public policy. Some chapters are more anecdotal and more for the reader who is interested how politics work and how to set up a political team/institution can be really tough, and other chapters -- those I was much more interested in -- are very informative with lots of info about behavioral economics in public policy.
November 10, 2019
Overall, this is a solid, well-researched book on behavioural insights (being, as it is, an account of the UK government's Behavioural Insights Team, by the man who lead said team). However, that solidity isn't enough to keep the four stars it could ahve earned. The simple reason is that it is slightly repetitive and meanders more than it needs to. The whole could ahve easily been edited to be 40% shorter, while packing a greater punch, without losing any meaning.
December 29, 2019
Interesting book on how govt in UK tried to nudge people to pay taxes on time, get people back to work quicker, save for their pension etc. All based on simple nudges partly due to austerity measures and Govt savings-Brought book as research as originally tried to get a post in their unit and intersting reading of how and why unit was set up and what does and doesn't work as well as the ethical issues raised by nudging
June 23, 2021
Behavioural economics is my thing - so I found this a fascinating story - mixing evidence-based random control testing of efficacy) approaches to changes government policy to affect “nudges for food” in people’s behaviour.
Plus that it’s well written and filled with examples.
I will be using the EAST heuristic in my work!
Easy
Attract
Social
Timely
& I will be aiming for conversion- not compliance ( force or insist) - to persuade .
Plus that it’s well written and filled with examples.
I will be using the EAST heuristic in my work!
Easy
Attract
Social
Timely
& I will be aiming for conversion- not compliance ( force or insist) - to persuade .
November 9, 2021
A wonderful introduction to behavioural science, though it may not offer much to those who've read extensively in the area. Appealingly written with enough detail to genuinely build understanding. Particularly interesting for those wanting to hear more from the British angle, or who have an interest in the inner workings of our political system. It also has a pleasingly uplifting tone, and made me want to go and investigate several of its themes in more detail.
January 19, 2020
Quite a bit of repetition; read more like a pop general interest book rather than something with insights. most of the case studies are laid out in a similar fashion-problem stated, general discourse about the problem, one 'nudge' and problem solved. very little is said about the impact in long term.
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