{"id":223,"date":"2026-10-05T10:30:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T10:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/exeterpolicyblog\/?p=223"},"modified":"2026-10-05T10:32:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T10:32:34","slug":"how-thematic-research-leads-work-with-parliament-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/exeterpolicyblog\/2026\/10\/05\/how-thematic-research-leads-work-with-parliament-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Feature – Behavioural Science in Government: Can, and Should, the Magic be Brought Back?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This blog has been shared with us by Rebecca Rubin, a third-year BA Liberal Arts student, following her attendance of the recent UK Government Behavioural Insights Conference at King\u2019s College London. Read on for her summary of the event, and reflections on the role of behavioural science in Policymaking.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 8th<\/sup> September, Kings College London hosted the UK Government Behavioural Insights Conference \u2018Behavioural Science in the Government: Bringing the Magic Back\u2019<\/a>. The conference was organised by HM Revenue and Customs Behavioural Insights and Trials Team and other governmental organisations and was supported by the School for Government at King\u2019s College London.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the event was to bring academics, practitioners, and behavioural scientists together to explore the question of having their voices heard within government decision making, while sustaining curiosity, and fostering collaboration across disciplines. These themes looked towards answering the broader questions of how to keep behavioural thinking relevant, influential, and innovative, to help encourage others to adopt behavioural tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behavioural science has been present within the government for many years, and gained prominence with the launch of the \u2018Nudge Unit\u2019 in the early 2010s. However, in today\u2019s post-COVID-19, AI-driven landscape where insights have been made cheap and available, there is a sense that the \u2018magic\u2019 has faded. This has required behavioural scientists to adopt empirical, sceptical and experimental principles that can account for the flawed yet predictable nature of humanity.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening presentations by civil service, academic and independent behavioural scientists highlighted the ways in which behavioural science is, or should be, a core asset for government. From encouraging vaccine uptake during the pandemic, to helping citizens decide on organ donation, the potential for behavioural science to make a meaningful impact seems clear. Yet speakers argued that there is still work to be done with behavioural science not fully penetrating many aspects of government decision-making. Perhaps simply \u2018bringing back the magic\u2019 shouldn\u2019t be the focus? Do we instead need behavioural thinking to become integrated within both public and private bodies, and build trust in the value of behavioural science? Seeming reliable might be better than appearing magical.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A panel discussion identified key barriers to knowledge exchange between practitioners and policymakers, including differences in timing, levels of trust, and the ways evidence is gathered and used in academia versus policymaking. One solution that was agreed upon was that the relationships between these sectors could be strengthened by using real world data in behavioural science.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to sustain momentum and integrate behavioural thinking into governmental action was a core topic of the day. Multiple strategies were proposed, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n