Module POL2097 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2097: Behavioural Public Policy and the Nudge Agenda
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Aims
The main objective of the module is to provide you with a critical understanding of how research and theoretical insights from the fields of behavioural economics and social psychology are being used to develop policy interventions in the contemporary era. In particular, the module discusses the apparently ‘boundedly rational’ nature of much human behaviour and the implications of this for governments seeking to develop policy tools or shape the ‘choice architecture’ to influence citizens, or indeed bureaucrats.
The module will use up-to-date case studies of methods and techniques that are being employed by contemporary governments in OECD countries, which will provide a useful grounding for those wishing to pursue a career in government. The methods and techniques discussed however have a range of applications in the private and non-profit sectors and so the research insights introduced in this module will also have value for those wishing to pursue careers in these other sectors.
While the course has practical policy relevance, you will be encouraged to take a critical, questioning approach and the course will also cover ethical and legitimacy questions surrounding behavioural public policy and its specific applications. You will engage in philosophical debates concerning ‘libertarian paternalism’ and explore research on the public’s view of the acceptability of Nudges.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how behavioural economic and social psychological insights are being used by government to secure policy outcomes 2. Demonstrate awareness of key heuristics employed in human decision-making 3. Articulate and critically evaluate a range of theoretical perspectives concerning the role of the State in influencing citizen behaviour |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Synthesise and extract arguments from academic literature and apply these to real policy problems 5. Propose viable methodologies for assessing the effects of policy interventions |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Present arguments in a cogent way to a non-specialist audience 7. Work effectively as part of a team to deliver a defined project |
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take home exercises to consolidate knowledge of key concepts from the course (assessed by peers during class) | 4 x 150 word answers defining key concepts (over 4 weeks) | 1 & 2 | Oral |
| Take home summary sheets to distil key findings from specific articles which will form the basis for group discussions on specific weeks | 2 hours preparation per summary sheet (including reading time) x 3 (over 3 weeks) | 1 & 4 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 85 | 0 | 15 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2000 words | 3,4 | Written |
| Small group presentation with group handout aimed at a non-specialist audience (500 words) | 15 | Equivalent of 5 mins per person | 1,2,4,6,7 | Oral & Written |
| Research protocol (i.e. a written description of a design for a research experiment to evaluate the effects of a behavioural change intervention in an area of the students own choosing) | 35 | 1500 words | 1,2,5,6 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 3,4 | August/September reassessment period |
| Small group presentation | Individual powerpoint presentation emailed to course convenor with follow up q&a by email | 1,2,4,6,7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Research protocol | Research protocol | 1,2,5,6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Akerlof, G. 2007. “The Missing Motivation in Macroeconomics”, American Economic Review , 97: 5-36.
Ariely, D. 2008. Predictably irrational: the hidden forces that shape our decisions . London, Harper Collins.
Galizzi, Matteo M. 2014. “What is really behavioral in behavioral health policy? And does it work?” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy , 36(1): 25-60.
James, S. 2012. “The contribution of behavioral economics to tax reform in the United Kingdom”, Journal of Socio-Economics , 41: 468-475.
John, P. et al. 2011. Nudge, Nudge, Think, Think: Experimenting with Ways to Change Civic Behaviour . London: Bloomsbury Academic.
John, P. 2013. ‘All Tools are Informational Now: How Information and Persuasion Define the Tools of Government’, Policy & Politics , 41(4): 605-20.
Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. 1979. “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk”, Econometrica , Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 263-292.
Kahneman, D. 2013. Thinking, Fast and Slow . Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Oliver, A. 2017. The origins of behavioural public policy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, A. 2013. Ed. Behavioural Public Policy . Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, Adam. 2013. “From Nudging to Budging: Using Behavioural Economics to Inform Public Sector Policy”, Journal of Social Policy , 42(4): 685-700.
Sunstein, C. 2016. The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sunstein, C. Forthcoming. ‘Do People Like Nudges?’, Administrative Law Review , Forthcoming. Draft Working Paper Available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2604084
Sunstein, C. 2015. Why Nudge? The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism . Yale University Press.
Thaler, R. and C. Sunstein. 2008. Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness . New Haven, Yale University Press.
