Introduction to Behavioral Insights in Public Policy

There has been an increasing effort to integrate behavioral insights into public policy. These insights are often reliant on social psychological research and theory. However, in this relatively young field, policy interventions and behavioral insights are often built on laboratory-based psychological research with effects that can prove to be unstable in the real world.

Historical Perspective and Application

In this Element, the author provides a brief history of how behavioral insights have been applied to complex policy problems. The author describes ways in which behavioral insights have been successful and where they have fallen short.

Unintended Consequences and Nuanced Impacts

In addition, the author examines unintended negative consequences of nudges and provides a more nuanced examination of their impacts on behavior change.

Recommendations for Practice

Finally, the author concludes with a set of recommendations for generating more effective practical applications of psychology to the field of public policy.