Have you tried the latest behavioural insights tools and resources from BETA?
This month we are featuring some fantastic tools and resources, developed by the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA). BETA is one of a growing number of teams across the world applying lessons learned from the field of behavioural insights to public policy. BETA's vision is to improve the lives of Australians by putting human behaviour at the heart of government policy.
So what does this look like in the real world?
Have you heard about nudge theory? Last year BETA partnered with Treasury and Westpac to test the effectiveness of reminder messages on credit card repayments. They found that any type of SMS reminder, a week before repayments are due, resulted in an increase in repayments and led to better financial wellbeing outcomes for credit card customers. Westpac have since adopted these reminders, demonstrating how simple, timely and cost-effective nudges can lead to positive outcomes. For the full report, or to read about other projects where behavioural insights have been applied, check out BETA’s project page.
So how much do you know about behavioural insights and are you looking to learn more?
One of the exciting new tools developed by BETA is the Behaviour Discovery Tool. It’s a helpful diagnostic tool you can complete in around 10 minutes. It will help you understand and influence how people might behave in response to the policy issue you are looking at. It also provides you with a handy report with practical next steps and bite-sized advice. Consider applying it to a policy issue that you are preparing advice on, or to gain deeper insights on how different policy options may play out in the real world.
BETA also have some great online resources on their Learn Hub. Here you can find all the information and tools to help you get started on your behavioural insights journey! A highlight worth checking out is BETA’s free world-class eLearning course on Behavioural Insights for Public Policy.
If you want even more inspiration, other resources to browse at your leisure include guides, podcasts and video content from the experts in the science of decision-making and evaluation. If you are looking for more connections with the behavioural insights community, check out the Academic Directory for academic contacts and areas of research.
And this is just a snapshot of the fab resources made available by our talented colleagues at BETA!