Behavioural Public Policy and Administration
| Module title | Behavioural Public Policy and Administration |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM227M |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Alice Moseley (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
How are policy makers using the insights of behavioural economics and social psychology to develop new and innovative ways of delivering public policy? What can public administrators learn from the insights of the behavioural sciences and psychology? This module addresses these questions which have contemporary relevance for practitioners across the globe. You will learn about how ‘nudges’ are being used in policy areas like health, savings, climate change, and taxation, and discuss the theory and assumptions underpinning these approaches as well as controversies surrounding them. There are no prerequisites for this module.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The main objective of the module is to provide you with a critical understanding of how research and theoretical insights from the fields of behavioural economics and social psychology are being used to develop policy innovations in the contemporary era. The module discusses the idea of ‘boundedly rational’ decision-making and the implications of this for governments seeking to develop policy tools or shape the ‘choice architecture’ to influence citizens, or indeed bureaucrats. The module will use up-to-date case studies of behavioural public policies that are being applied by contemporary governments in OECD countries, and we will discuss the applicability of these approaches in different international contexts. While the course has practical policy relevance, you will be encouraged to take a critical, questioning approach and the course will also cover ethical and legitimacy questions surrounding behavioural public policy.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how behavioural economic and social psychological insights are being used by government to secure policy outcomes
- 2. Demonstrate awareness of key heuristics employed in human decision-making
- 3. Articulate a range of theoretical perspectives concerning the role of the State in influencing citizen behaviour
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Effectively synthesise and extract arguments from academic literature
- 5. Critique a range of academic theories and perspectives
- 6. Appraise the strengths & weaknesses of different research methodologies
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Present arguments and distil evidence in a cogent way to a non-specialist audience
- 8. Apply theory and research findings from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to real world policy dilemmas
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics:
- What is Behavioural Public Policy?
- Bounded Rationality; The Automatic and the Reflective System
- Key Insights and Heuristics from Behavioural Economics
- Applications of ‘Nudge’ in public policy
- The politics of Libertarian Paternalism
- Ethical issues in behavioural public policy
- Combining policy tools: How Regulation and Nudge can be complementary
- Insights from psychology and behavioural economics for Public Administrators
Throughout the module we discuss a variety of policy applications including areas such as Health & Lifestyle; Environmental Behaviours; Payment of taxes; Savings and financial behaviour, linking these to the underlying theory from behavioural economics and social psychology and reviewing evidence of their effectiveness.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hr seminars |
| Guided independent study | 118 | Reading and seminar preparation, including formative reading, reflecting and formative assessment tasks |
| Guided independent study | 160 | Assignment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy briefing outline | 750 words | 2 | Oral within seminar |
| Essay outline | 750 words | 1,4,6 | Oral within seminar |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 3,000 words | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Written |
| Policy Briefing aimed at your own countrys government using chosen policy area (written) | 50 | 3,000 words | 1,2,4,6,7,8 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Policy Briefing | Policy Briefing (3,000 words) | 1,2,4,6,7,8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Cohen, I.G., Fernandez Lynch, H. & Ronertson, C.T. (Eds). 2016. Nudging Health: Health Law and Behavioural Economics.Johns Hopkins University Press.
Galizzi, Matteo M. 2014. “What is really behavioral in behavioral health policy? And does it work?” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 36(1): 25-60.
Grimmelikhuijsen, S., Jilke, S., Olsen, A.L. & Tummers, L. 2016. ‘Behavioral Public Administration’, Public Administration Review.
James, S. 2012. “The contribution of behavioral economics to tax reform in the United Kingdom”, Journal of Socio-Economics, 41: 468-475.
John, P. 2016. ‘Behavioural Approaches: How Nudges Lead to more Intelligent Policy Design’, in Philippe Zittoun and B. Guy Peters. (Eds). Contemporary Approaches to Public Policy, Palgrave Macmillan.
John, P. et al. 2011. Nudge, Nudge, Think,Think: Experimenting with Ways to Change Civic Behaviour. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Kahneman, D. 2013. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Low, D. (Ed). 2011. Behavioural Economics and Policy Design: Examples from Singapore. Civil Service College Singapore/ World Scientific.
Ly, K. & Soman, D. 2013. Nudging Around the World. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
OECD. 2017. Behavioural Insights and Public Policy: Lessons from Around the World. OECD. Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264270480-en. Read online:
Oliver, A. 2017. The origins of behavioural public policy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, A. 2013. Ed. Behavioural Public Policy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, Adam. 2013. “From Nudging to Budging: Using Behavioural Economics to Inform Public Sector Policy”, Journal of Social Policy, 42(4): 685-700.
Shafir, E (Ed). 2012. The Behavioural Foundations of Public Policy. Princetown University Press.
Sunstein, C. 2016. The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sunstein, C. Forthcoming. ‘Do People Like Nudges?, Administrative Law Review , Forthcoming. Draft Working Paper Available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2604084
Sunstein, C. 2015. Why Nudge? The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism. Yale University Press.
Thaler, R. and C. Sunstein. 2008. Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven, Yale University Press.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
The module will be supported by ELE materials, including links to core texts, podcasts and lectures.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 03/05/2017 |
| Last revision date | 13/07/2020 |
