The Impact of Behavioral Insights in Public Policy

The establishment of the UK's Behavioral Insights Team marked a significant turning point in applying behavioral science to public policy. This team made notable strides in improving governmental effectiveness by using simple nudges, such as social norm messages for late taxpayer reminders, which led to an impressive collection boost of £1.6 million in just 23 days. Additionally, a personalized text message campaign for court fines doubled payment rates, ultimately saving the UK court service £30 million annually. These examples illustrate how small, evidence-based changes can produce substantial outcomes in public policy.