Local government finds itself on the front line of some of society’s most significant challenges. On top of providing the day-to-day services we take for granted, it must also provide urgent support to the most vulnerable adults and children in their areas.
We work with local partners internationally, offering support to dozens of cities and authorities across the UK and US.
Featured work
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Helping local economies rebuild after COVID-19 - collecting evidence on what works
Before the pandemic the UK had some of the highest levels of regional inequality in the developed world. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing differences, for example unemployment has risen four times as much in Blackpool as in Cambridge. Manchester (where BIT North is based, and I live) has been particularly hard hit. The number of people claiming unemployment benefits has more than doubled - 8.9% of working age people are now claiming, compared with 6.3% nationwide. How can local authorities help to rebuild their local economies?
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Applying behavioural insights to public transport pricing complexity
Navigating the pricing structures of public transport systems in new cities is something even experienced travellers dread. There’s lots of different things to think about: the mode of transport you’d like to use; the distance you’re travelling; and even time of day changes to transport fares. We worked with Infrastructure Victoria and SGS Economics and Planning to understand how incorporating complexity via multiple pricing elements influences comprehension of the pricing structure. To do this, we conducted an online randomised controlled trial with 2,011 Australians where we showed respondents four different pricing structures.
More on local government and services
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Nudging early reduces administrative burden: Three field experiments to improve code enforcement
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Creating opportunities for economic mobility in US cities
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Integrating health and social care: making it work for staff
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The Behavioural Insights Team Annual Update Report 2017-18
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Improving communications using behavioural insights - new results from TEST + Build
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Encouraging retirement planning through behavioural insights
