How Can Governments and Businesses Avoid the ‘Big Mistake?’
He talked about how often policymakers, in his opinion, not only missed the power of social norms and influence, they often inadvertently used them in a way that actually backfired.
David Halpern is the chief executive of the Behavioral Insights Team and board director. He has led the team since its inception in 2010. Prior to that, David was the founding director of the Institute for Government and between 2001 and 2007 was the chief analyst at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. Before entering government, David held tenure at Cambridge University and posts at Oxford University and Harvard University. He has written several books and papers on areas relating to behavioral insights and well-being, including Social Capital, the Hidden Wealth of Nations, and most recently Inside the Nudge Unit.
He talked about how often policymakers, in his opinion, not only missed the power of social norms and influence, they often inadvertently used them in a way that actually backfired.