It’s too late to improve Keanu Reaves’ acting, but there’s still hope for using behavioural economics to improve other outcomes. Here are a couple of ‘what to remember about behavioural economics’ mnemonics I thought I’d share, from my recent reading of David Halpern’s Inside the Nudge Unit. According to Halpern, the man behind the BritishContinue reading “Johnny behavioural science mnemonics: EAST and MINDSPACE”
Tag Archives: Nudge
Steering the elephant in the room, not just nudging it
In between helping my lad complete The Usborne Book Of Things To Spot out of the Flybe plane window back from Belfast at the weekend (or Fly Maybe as they are sometimes known) I caught up with Matt Grist’s paper, “Steer”, for the RSA from a couple of years back. The report was part ofContinue reading “Steering the elephant in the room, not just nudging it”
Fuel “panic”: when laissez-faire crisis management met the rational herd
We’ve seen over the last week a great illustration of why government and companies ought to listen to behavioural economists – and social researchers generally for that matter. I bought fuel on the way into my meeting in London on Friday, though my tank had enough petrol to get me there and back. Why? NotContinue reading “Fuel “panic”: when laissez-faire crisis management met the rational herd”
Knocked unconscious
Last night’s Horizon on BBC2 was really fascinating – throwing some light onto the unconscious mind. Thanks John Habershon of Momentum for alerting me to this through the ICG email group. Horizon: Out of Control? Some great stuff to show how unaware people are of what their brain is making them do: an experiment whereContinue reading “Knocked unconscious”
Everybody will be doing behavioural economics in qual
Do you see what I did there? The title’s speculative, but no more so than the communication to the American public by Barack Obama’s team two weeks before the 2008 Presidential Election, to get the vote out: “A Record Turnout Is Expected.” The Obama campaign realised that, at that stage in the campaign, detailed messagesContinue reading “Everybody will be doing behavioural economics in qual”
From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles
Required listening for anyone in research, I think: All In The Mind Special: The Behavioural Insights Team. Interesting contributions to Claudia Hammond‘s Radio 4 documentary from the likes of Prof. Richard Thaler, Dr. David Halpern and Warwick University psychologist Neil Stewart as well as the more sceptical Nick Pearce of the IPPR. It’s all aboutContinue reading “From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles”
The tyranny of the “left brain” – RSA Animate
Here is an RSA Animate of a talk by Iain McGilchrist on “the divided brain” – highly recommended. While the division into left and right brain is a myth, he says, there are indeed two modes of thinking: one open, alive, messy, intuitive; and the other our ordered and rational working of a closed system.Continue reading “The tyranny of the “left brain” – RSA Animate”
Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge
Professor Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge, is one of the most sought-after people in the world at the moment. His behavioural economics (BE) snowball is now well down the hill, has taken out some skiiers and is about to roll along the valley, chasing people around like that giant bubble thing from The Prisoner. HisContinue reading “Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge”
Qualitative research and behavioural economics
Looking up at the bookshelf, there is Charles Leadbeater‘s We-Think, Dan Ariely‘s Predictably Irrational and kicking around the house somewhere is Thaler and Sunstein’s Nudge; not forgetting Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Having been interested in these accessible paperbacks on “behavioural economics” (or, if you prefer, explanations of human behaviour and decision-making) for a while, itContinue reading “Qualitative research and behavioural economics”
Strangers on the Shore 