PB450E      Half Unit
Behavioural Science and Policy

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

This course aims to introduce students to the main concepts and tools of the growing fields of behavioural science. The course covers the following topics: What is behavioural science?; What are preferences to economists and psychologists?; Dual-process models of behaviour and the role of the unconscious mind; Dual processing into policy using the MINDSPACE checklist; the role of emotions in decision making; compensating behaviours; breaking and creating habits. Students will develop an understanding of how people make decisions across a variety of contexts and the importance of understanding decisions for designing policy in both public and private organisations. We will cover canonical texts and ideas from behavioural science such as Kahneman & Tversky and Thaler & Sunstein, and we will also introduce students to cutting-edge research within behavioural science including recent work by our own faculty.

12 hours of seminars and 9 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.

Please note that the lectures will be a mixture of pre-recorded and live. The seminars will be delivered live. 

Students will be expected to produce 2 essays in the AT.

There will also be formative exercises in the seminars.

Dolan, P. (2014). Happiness by design: finding pleasure and purpose in everyday life. London: Allen Lane. 

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking Fast and Slow. London: Penguin Books

Gneezy U, Meier S, Rey-Beil P (2011), “When and Why Incentives (Don’t) Work to Modify Behavior”, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25(4):191-210.

DellaVigna, S. (2007). "Psychology and Economics: Evidence from the Field". NBER Working Paper No. 13420. 

Dolan, P., Hallsworth, M., Halpern, D., King, D., Metcalfe, R., Vlaev, I. (2012). "Influencing Behaviour: The mindspace way". Journal of Economic Psychology, 33 (1): 264-277. 

Dolan, P., Galizzi, M. (2015). "Like ripples on a pond: Behavioural spillovers and their implications for research and policy". Journal of Economic Psychology, 47: 1-16. 

Problem sets (100%)

Assessment will take place at the beginning of the second intensive teaching session in January