Governments have, to different degrees and in different ways, expanded their use of behavioural science evidence over the last decade, enabling policies to be developed, tested, and selected with a more nuanced understanding of the people involved in achieving change. The principles in this report are based on the practices that policy makers and behavioural science experts have found to be effective over that time. The OECD will continue to participate in the global conversation about how and where behavioural science can help governments tackle complex policy challenges.
Governments can use this report’s good practice principles as a guide for considering their maturity across the different dimensions of mainstreaming behavioural public policy. Some governments have rich in‑house behavioural science expertise; others have more advanced data or ethics practices. A review would help identify areas of strength, as well as areas that may warrant further attention. Such a review could be conducted by the OECD, or another independent third party, to ensure an objective assessment that is informed by comparisons across other administrations. A review could look at a whole government or focus on a particular organisation.
An initial framework of key review questions is outlined in the table below. This framework could be refined and expanded over time to produce a measurement framework that enables cross-country comparisons.