This chapter investigates whether street-level bureaucrats can be incentivised to process information in ways that lead to more effective implementation decisions. It draws on the literatures on behavioural public policy (BPP) and street-level bureaucracy to analyse how civil servants implement disability insurance policy in Switzerland. We conducted a field experiment to assess whether a thought-provoking nudge improves the decisional effectiveness of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs). SLBs were assigned to either a ‘business-as-usual’ control condition, or to an experimental condition, where they were called to pay attention to vulnerability processes along the beneficiaries’ life course when making decisions. While we did not find that the thought-provoking nudge directly improved effectiveness, we found that it increased beneficiaries’ humanisation. In particular, there was some evidence for indirect positive effects of the thought-provoking nudge on effectiveness via humanisation. These findings encourage BPP researchers to consider additional dimensions such as humanisation to nudge SLBs into processing information in better ways.
This book features theoretical, methodological, and empirical advancements of the state-of-the-art in behavioural public policy and administration. In recent years, a wave of reforms known as ‘nudges’, or ‘behavioural public policy agenda’, have emerged. ‘Nudge’ policies are created to lightly influence groups in society to change their behaviour, using behavioural insights to solve complex policy problems. First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics journal, this book situates these reforms within a broader tradition of methodological individualism. With contributions from a range of international scholars, it demonstrates that when behavioural policies expand their focus beyond the individual, they have the potential to better understand, investigate and shape social outcomes.In recent years, a wave of reforms known as ‘nudges’ or ‘behavioural interventions’ have emerged in public policy and administration. ‘Nudge’ policies are created to lightly influence groups in society to change their behaviour, using behavioural insights to solve complex policy problems. Generally, behavioural approaches focus on the psychology underlying the implementation and effects of policies in practice.First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics journal, this book situates these reforms within a broader tradition of methodological individualism.With contributions from international scholars, it demonstrates that when behavioural policies expand their focus beyond the individual, they have the potential to better understand, investigate and shape social outcomes.First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics journal, this book situates reforms known as ‘nudges’ or ‘behavioural interventions’ which have emerged in public policy and administration within a broader tradition of methodological individualism.