A new partnership has been established by the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in the UK and the Behavioural Insights Group (BIG) at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The partnership is supported by the Sloan Foundation with a one million US Dollar grant for a period of three years.
There are two main objectives to this partnership:
(1) The creation of a network of academics across the world dedicated to improving knowledge exchange by scientists and policymakers to foster behavioural insight interventions.
(2) Regular conferences and exchanges that bring together practitioners from all over the world interested in applying behavioural insights to public policy challenges. The first of these conferences will be hosted by Harvard this October. The second will be hosted by the Behavioural Insights Team in summer 2015.
Richard Thaler, Co-Author of Nudge, Professor of Behavioural Science and Economics at the Chicago Booth School of Business, and long-time academic advisor to the Behavioural Insights Team says: “Behavioural approaches are starting to have a deep impact on policy across the world – with the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team leading the way. The Sloan grant and this collaboration will help the spread of ‘nudge-style’ approaches still further, and assure that the tests the team runs are conducted with the most rigorous methods available.”
Grant Shapps, Cabinet Office Minister in the UK Government, says: “While ‘Nudge’ theory was founded in the US, it’s been the British government that has taken behavioural insights from concept to daily use in government, public life and beyond.”
Further information:
Behavioural Insights Group at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in the UK