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Motivating the Use of Behavioral Insights

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Behavioral Insights for Policy Design

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Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce the role of government and how it impacts the policymaking process. Mainly, the duties of government focus on correcting externalities and reducing social inequalities. To achieve these goals, governments use policy tools to try to change behaviors of citizens and organizations. They do so, however, often with the ideal citizen in mind – that who is only motivated by the economic costs and benefits of their actions and who is perfectly attentive to them, immune to internal conflicts between reason and affect and to social pressure, and with perfect ability to follow through on past plans. For good or bad, real citizens are not like that. Through concrete examples, we motivate the use of insights from the behavioral sciences for diagnosing the key drivers of public problems, to better inform the design of effective public policies and social programs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Fines are defined as a punishment or penalty consisting of a payment (pecuniary sanction). Source: Priberam Online Dictionary. Consulted on 30-11-2021.

  2. 2.

    Simply put, a tax can be defined as a pecuniary contribution that the state imposes on individuals and legal entities with some legal basis. Source: Priberam Online Dictionary. Consulted on 30-11-2021.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Guilherme Lichand

  2. Natura Institute, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Amiris de Paula Serdeira

  3. Catálise Social, Brasília, Brazil

    Bruno Rizardi

Authors
  1. Guilherme Lichand
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  2. Amiris de Paula Serdeira
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  3. Bruno Rizardi
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Lichand, G., Serdeira, A.d.P., Rizardi, B. (2023). Motivating the Use of Behavioral Insights. In: Behavioral Insights for Policy Design. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33034-6_2

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