The evolution of behaviourally informed policy-making in the EU

Baggio, Marianna; Emanuele, Ciriolo; Marandola, Ginevra; Bavel, René van

doi:10.1080/13501763.2021.1912145

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Much of this literature has focused on ways to improve participation in agri-environment schemes due to their voluntary nature (Dessart, Barreiro-Hurlé, and van Bavel 2019). The EU created in 2019 the Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights within the Commission's Joint Research Centre to promote the use of behavioural insights in policymaking and the use of behavioural research is foreseen in the Better Regulation guidelines for evidence-based policymaking (Baggio et al 2021). As behavioural change among both consumers and farmers is central to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal when it comes to food systems, the extent and relevance of this research is only going to increase in future.…”

Section: Experimental Methods and Behavioural Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of research to agricultural policy in Europe

Matthews

2022

BAE

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This paper surveys some of the key themes in European agricultural policy research in recent decades. It identifies three main drivers of this research: a gradual broadening of the scope of the discipline in response to changing political priorities and values; an enlarged toolbox of policy instruments that has raised new questions and required the development of new modes of analysis; and the availability of new data sources, increased computing power, as well as the introduction of new methodological advances from economics, statistics and psychology that have opened the way to new and more powerful analytical tools. Particular attention is paid to direct payments and agri-environment-climate measures as examples of new policy instruments that have driven the research agenda. The paper concludes by identifying requirements to ensure that agricultural policy research remains vibrant and relevant in the future.

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Section: Experimental Methods and Behavioural Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of research to agricultural policy in Europe

Matthews

2022

BAE

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“…Yet, and even if EU institutions acknowledged that behavioural studies could provide insightful evidence regarding the modes and effectiveness of disclosure obligations-and have critically re-evaluated their utility (see Baggio et al, 2021)information duties are still dominant in consumer law.…”

Section: Disclosure As a Regulatory Tool In Consumer Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Consumer Is an Island—Relational Disclosure as a Regulatory Strategy to Advance Consumer Protection Against Microtargeting

2023

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Presently, most business-to-consumer interaction uses consumer profiling to elaborate and deliver personalized products and services. It has been observed that these practices can be welfare-enhancing if properly regulated. At the same time, risks related to their abuses are present and significant, and it is no surprise that in recent times, personalization has found itself at the centre of the scholarly and regulatory debate. Within currently existing and forthcoming regulations, a common perspective can be found: given the capacity of microtargeting to potentially undermine consumers’ autonomy, the success of the regulatory intervention depends primarily on people being aware of the personality dimension being targeted. Yet, existing disclosures are based on an individualized format, focusing solely on the relationship between the professional operator and its counterparty; this approach operates in contrast to sociological studies that consider interaction and observation of peers to be essential components of decision making. A consideration of this “relational dimension” of decision making is missing both in consumer protection and in the debate on personalization. This article defends that consumers’ awareness and understanding of personalization and its consequences could be improved significantly if information was to be offered according to a relational format; accordingly, it reports the results of a study conducted in the streaming service market, showing that when information is presented in a relational format, people’s knowledge and awareness about profiling and microtargeting are significantly increased. The article further claims the potential of relational disclosure as a general paradigm for advancing consumer protection.

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“…There is now a well-developed research literature, including a number of Nobel prizes, on the potential and use of BPP in a government context (Baggio et al, 2021; Gofen et al, 2021; Lepenies and Malecka, 2018) - this itself is far from new. The literature focuses not only on the fundamentals of behavioural psychology, but also on analysis of the policy actors who undertake these interventions (Gofen et al, 2021).…”

Section: Behaviourism and Governmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence government: Exploring practices, ethics, and power in the use of targeted advertising by the UK state

et al. 2022

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We have identified an emerging tool being used by the UK government across a range of public bodies in the service of public policy - the online targeted advertising infrastructure and the practices, consultancy firms, and forms of expertise which have grown up around it. This reflects an intensification and adaptation of a broader ‘behavioural turn’ in the governmentality of the UK state and the increasing sophistication of everyday government communications. Contemporary UK public policy is fusing with the powerful tools for behaviour change created by the platform economy. Operational data and associated systems of classification and profiling from public bodies are being hybridised with traditional consumer marketing profiles and then ‘projected’ onto the classification systems of the targeted advertising infrastructures. This is not simply a case of algorithms being used for sorting, surveilling, and scoring; rather this suggests that targeted interventions in the cultural and behavioural life of communities are now a core part of governmental power which is being algorithmically-driven, in combination with influencer networks, traditional forms of messaging, and frontline operational practices. We map these uses and practices of what we describe as the ‘Surveillance Influence Infrastructure’, identifying key ethical issues and implications which we believe have yet to be fully investigated or considered. What we find particularly striking is the coming-together of two separate structures of power - the governmental turn to behaviourism and prevention on one hand, and the infrastructures of targeting and influence (and their complex tertiary markets) on the other. We theorise this as a move beyond ‘nudge’ or ‘behavioural science’ approaches, towards a programme which we term ‘influence government’.

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The evolution of behaviourally informed policy-making in the EU

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

The contribution of research to agricultural policy in Europe

The contribution of research to agricultural policy in Europe

No Consumer Is an Island—Relational Disclosure as a Regulatory Strategy to Advance Consumer Protection Against Microtargeting

Influence government: Exploring practices, ethics, and power in the use of targeted advertising by the UK state

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