Skip to content

A Manifesto for Applying Behavioral Science

BIT's landmark guide for the future of applied behavioural science

New publication 20th Mar 2023

Key findings

  • 📢 BIT's new Manifesto for Applying Behavioral Science marks a turning point for applied behavioral science, taking a clear-eyed look at challenges facing the field and offering 10 proposals to address them #FutureOfBeSci
  • 🎧 What links oysters, plastic bags & pedestrian crossings? Join @mhallsworth on a journey around New York in a new podcast exploring the future of behavioral science #FutureOfBeSci https://t.co/wwkHAgKtcH https://t.co/O7AY6qID2y
  • ⏳ Short on time? Read the summary of BIT's new Manifesto for Applying Behavioral Science here: https://www.bi.team/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Manifesto-Summary.pdf #FutureOfBeSci
  • 🎧 Listen to the rapid-fire overview of 10 proposals in 10 minutes from BIT's landmark guide for the future of applied behavioural science by its author @mhallsworth https://youtu.be/Ttj0UZoF6cQ #FutureOfBeSci

DOWNLOAD A MANIFESTO FOR APPLYING BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE

Behavioural science has made a major impact on important issues over the past decade, such as antimicrobial resistance, educational attainment, and sustainability. But it’s also clear that applied behavioural science needs to evolve to fulfil its true potential.

A Manifesto for Applying Behavioral Science charts the path forward. This major work marks a turning point for applied behavioral science, taking a clear-eyed look at challenges facing the field and offering 10 proposals to address them. 

Written by BIT Americas Managing Director Dr Michael Hallsworth, its proposals will improve the scope, methods and values of applied behavioural science, and are critical for practitioners, clients, academics, and funders to engage in to take the field into its next decade of impact.

The 10 proposals are:

  1. Use behavioural science as a lens
  2. Build behavioural science into organisations
  3. See the system
  4. Put RCTs in their place
  5. Replication, variation, adaptation
  6. Beyond lists of biases
  7. Predict and adjust
  8. Be humble, explore, and enable
  9. Data science for equity
  10. No “view from nowhere”

Listen here for a short explanation on each of these concepts by Michael:

The latest episode of our Inside The Nudge Unit podcast sees Michael Hallsworth takes to the streets of New York City to explain more about what point 3, the importance of ‘understanding the system’, means in the context of behavioural science. The journey takes him from Times Square to Governors Island, discussing oysters, pedestrian crossings, plastic bags and much more:

BIT is now starting a program of work to turn these ambitions into reality. Please take a look and contact us to find out how you can get involved.

DOWNLOAD YOUR MANIFESTO COPY NOW!

Authors

Design and development by Soapbox.