ENVP50030 Behavioural Public Policy

Academic Year 2023/2024

Insights about what influences human decision-making are increasingly used globally to inform policy and management decisions. The rising field of Behavioural Public Policy deals with the link between behavioural science and policy. Students in this module learn key concepts and tools used by behavioural scientists to inform policy and management decisions. Drawing on multiple disciplines, such as behavioural economics, psychology, philosophy, and public administration, insights from behavioural science are increasingly used to better understand and change human behaviour in various contexts including the environment, health, and financial decision making. Students will learn about important determinants of human behaviour and design behavioural interventions to change behaviour. "Nudging", other behavioural policy instruments, and the newest developments in the field will be discussed. Students will be encouraged to apply behavioural insights in an area they are interested in.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

- An understanding of key areas and newest developments in behavioural public policy including nudge, sludge, and behaviourally informed regulation.
- An understanding of key concepts and theories that help understand and change behaviour.
- An understanding of the ethical complexities of behaviourally informed policy making.
- An understanding of the academic journal landscape relevant for behavioural public policy.
- An understanding of randomised controlled trials as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural public policies.
- The ability to design a behaviourally-informed research study.
- The ability to apply behavioural science frameworks.

Indicative Module Content:

Key topics that might be discussed include:

- Nudging and choice architecture.
- Libertarian paternalism.
- Sludge and administrative burdens.
- Present bias, loss aversion, inertia and other heuristics and biases.
- Behavioural frameworks such as EAST, BASIC, and FORGOOD.
- Ethical uses of behavioural insights.
- Subjective well-being for policy.
- Behavioural welfare analysis: How to know whether a policy improves peoples' lives?
- Randomised controlled trials and other ways of evaluating behavioural policies.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

16
Seminar (or Webinar)

4
Specified Learning Activities

16
Autonomous Student Learning

164
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will be delivered in a workshop format via block teaching in four days in four consecutive weeks. Key teaching and learning approaches used in the module include: active/task-based learning; peer and group work; reflective learning; enquiry & problem-based learning; case-based learning; student presentations. Some assignments will be shared with the class. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Group Project: Co-written essay Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

25
Presentation: Group presentation Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

25
Assignment: Individual project Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

This module involves undertaking individual and/or group work and presentations. Feedback will be provided via group/class feedback, post assessment. Assignments will be shared with the class to facilitate learning.

Banerjee, S., & John, P. (2021). Nudge plus: incorporating reflection into behavioral public policy. Behavioural Public Policy, 5717(332), 1-16.

Bernheim, B. D. (2016). The good, the bad, and the ugly: A unified approach to behavioral welfare economics1. Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, 7(1), 12-68.

Chater, N., & Loewenstein, G. (2022). The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on the individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray. Available at SSRN 4046264.

DellaVigna, S., & Linos, E. (2022). RCTs to scale: Comprehensive evidence from two nudge units. Econometrica, 90(1), 81-116.

Grüne-Yanoff, T., & Hertwig, R. (2016). Nudge versus boost: How coherent are policy and theory?. Minds and Machines, 26(1), 149-183.

Lades, L. K., & Delaney, L. (2022). Nudge FORGOOD. Behavioural Public Policy, 6(1), 75-94.

Oliver, A. (2015). Nudging, shoving, and budging: Behavioural economic‐informed policy. Public Administration, 93(3), 700-714.

Thaler, R. H. (2015). Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. New York: W. W. Norton.

Thaler, R. H. (2018). Nudge, not sludge. Science, 361(6401), 431-431.

Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2021). Nudge. Yale University Press.

Schmidt, A. T., & Engelen, B. (2020). The ethics of nudging: An overview. Philosophy Compass, 15(4), e12658.

Sunstein, C. R. (2018). Sludge and ordeals. Duke LJ, 68, 1843.

Sunstein, C. R. (2022). Sludge audits. Behavioural public policy, 6(4), 654-673.

Shahab, S., & Lades, L. K. (2021). Sludge and transaction costs. Behavioural Public Policy, 1-22.
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 26, 29, 32, 33 Fri 10:00 - 11:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 26, 29, 32, 33 Fri 13:00 - 14:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 26, 29, 32, 33 Wed 10:00 - 11:50
Spring