Behavioural research for water security: integrating design, systems thinking and social sciences

BASIN Insight Brief 1

Authors: Katarzyna Mikołajczak, Kate Gannon, Katharine Vincent, Lina Taing, Will Ingram, Chris de Bont, Lucien Damiba, Ganga Shreedhar, Gloria Kanyumba, Julie Truelove, Declan Conway

This brief explores how behavioural research can better address complex, ‘wicked’ problems such as inclusive water security and climate adaptation by integrating systems thinking, human-centred design and critical social sciences.

The BASIN project argues that behavioural research can be advanced by integrating systems thinking, human-centred design and critical social sciences. This expanded approach to applying behavioural research to wicked problems aims to foster more holistic, equitable and sustainable solutions to water insecurity in a changing climate.

Key points

• Standard behaviour change interventions often focus on individual actions while overlooking power dynamics, systemic drivers, structural inequalities and unintended consequences. This narrow focus can reinforce, rather than resolve, the underlying challenges inherent in wicked problems.
• Combining behavioural research with systems thinking helps to map complex interconnections: identifying root causes, leveraging points and potential intervention outcomes, including unintended consequences.
• Integrating behavioural research with human-centred design provides a structured, iterative approach to problem-solving that embeds systems thinking. It emphasises a thorough diagnosis of problems, co-creation with affected communities and context-specific adaptable solutions.
• Applying behavioural research both as a tool for intervention design and an analytical lens, and moving beyond nudging, opens up space for integration with critical social sciences. This integration can illuminate power dynamics and inequalities, with the potential for enhancing the effectiveness and fairness of interventions for more inclusive water outcomes.