Research focus of Behaviour & Institutions
How can institutions employ behavioural insights to facilitate societal transitions that require citizen commitment?
Vaccination. Meat consumption. Single-use plastic. Solar screens on your roof. These are all personal, albeit societally critical, choices. Governments increasingly turn to behavioural science to influence these kinds of decisions as an alternative for classic models of governance without, however, getting to grips with critical issues relating to self-rule and engagement with the public good.
The mission of Behaviour & Institutions is to develop a critical understanding how institutions employ behavioural insights to facilitate societal transitions for which citizen commitment is needed.
We do so by bringing together scholars and practitioners to discuss the governance of transitions with a focus on how behavioural science can furnish the design, testing and implementation of novel policy arrangements. We particularly highlight conditions that allow citizens from vulnerable groups to participate in these transitions and document the legitimacy of policy arrangements in view of citizen motivation and skills.
Behaviour & Institutions favors a multidisciplinary approach with contributions from psychology, public administration, economics, law, sociology, philosophy, and linguistics. We collaborate with societal partners to advance research that is both rigorous and relevant.
Our activities
- .. establishing a scientific community, embedded in a network of policy makers, stakeholders and public institutions: BIN-NL, WRR.
- .. fostering education and knowledge dissemination at the crossroads of psychology, public administration, economics, law, sociology, philosophy, and linguistics. In doing so, transparency about behavioural data that are employed by any societal actor stands central: NIG course Behavioral Sciences & Public Policy, NSOB course Gedrag en Bestuur, Utrecht University minor Well being by design: behavioral foundations and public policy.
- .. facilitating the formation of consortia and applications for research grants and external funding in conjunction with societal partners: VIDI, GAK.
Upcoming events
- January 27 2022 (afternoon). Symposium Fostering public engagement: Finding new ways to involve people with societal issues. Event Dutch spoken (see news page).
- March 2 2022 (afternoon). Debate on systemic vs behavioral change in the transition to a sustainable society. Event Dutch spoken.
- Later on in 2022: Symposium on public support for COVID-19 behavioral mitigation measures. Event Dutch spoken.