Behavioural Insights Projects

This experiment involved making the information on the WBSO website clearer and more personally relevant to entrepreneurs. The visibility of the call-to-action was also enhanced. The study showed that entrepreneurs were prompted to spend more time exploring the possibilities offered by the Research and Development (Promotion) Act (WBSO) and that they read the information more carefully. Why this experiment was conducted: number of new applications below expectations The Research and Development…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)

Air pollution is a serious health and environmental problem in many cities, including Pristina, Kosovo, where poor air quality is a frequent issue. Private cars and taxis are a major mode of transportation in Pristina, contributing significantly to both pollution and congestion, which is most problematic at peak traffic hours when individuals commute to and from work. To tackle this issue, ideas42 partnered with the UNDP Kosovo to design a behavioral intervention with the unifying slogan, "Give…

Institution: Ideas42

Team: Ideas42

We conducted a systematic search for an overview of reviews of scholarly evidence on scale up, and 11 practice interviews with behaviour science researchers and practitioners to identify the factors and activities that influence the scale up of behaviour change interventions, learn about scale up, its challenges, and useful frameworks, identify which behaviour to target with an intervention, assess the feasibility of different intervention ideas, and select a scalable behaviour change…

Institution: Government of Victoria - Department of Premier and Cabinet

Team: Behavioural insights Unit (VicGov BIU)

To better learn about the U.S. General Services Administration’s USAGov email audience, a bilingual survey was developed to include questions on preferred topics, preferred frequency of email communications, utility of emails, and audience demographics. USAGov sought to learn more about their email audience through the survey and by using behavioral insights to increase survey response.

Institution: General Services Administration (GSA)

Team: Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES)

Small businesses were sent behaviorally-informed emails encouraging them to apply to the Growth Vouchers program. A key part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) remit is to provide support to small businesses in the United Kingdom. BIS has explored a number of initiatives to help these businesses grow. One of these initiatives was ‘Growth Vouchers’ – a program of matched funding with a £30 million budget. Businesses could apply for funding to help subsidize the…

Institution: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Team: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

In partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU) has launched a multi-year program of research on climate change. The Program of Applied Research on Climate Action in Canada (PARCA Canada) combines behavioural science (BeSci) insights and methods with robust policy analysis to promote climate action. One of the main areas of focus involves the launch of a longitudinal survey that will, over time, collect…

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

A campaign was launched to encourage young people to get the catch-up vaccination against Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The campaign succeeded in promoting discussion and increased awareness of HPV as well as persuading young people to get vaccinated. Why this experiment was conducted: provide boys and girls with a vaccine they might not have received In 2022 and 2023, boys were invited for the first time and girls were invited again to get vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV…

Institution: Dutch National Immunisation Programme

In a seven-week school-based field experiment using preadolescents’ physical activity as a proxy for estimating behavioural change, we test the hypothesis that boys’ and girls’ distinct networks are susceptible to different social incentives.

Institution: European Commission

Team: JRC Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights

Pacific Island Nations are facing a crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) - chronic diseases which are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural facts. NCDs are the leading cause of mortality in the region, accounting for 75% of deaths. Unhealthy diets in particular have been recognized as a risk factor for high rates of obesity. Residents of the Pacific Island Nations have some of the highest rates of obesity in the world, with 92.9% and 80.7% of…

Institution: Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Team: Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Parents within the Child Support Program can apply for a Change of Assessment (CoA) when they experience a change in their circumstances that might affect their child support payments or entitlements. This is done by lodging an application with the Department of Human Services (DHS). The aim of the study is to examine whether providing timely and salient information about the receipt and process of a claim improves process transparency and saves client time and effort by reducing the need for…

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

Team: Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA)