Thursday 4 February 2010

After lunch we focused on nannying, nudge or knowledge and what inspires behaviour change...

Ben Hamilton-Baillie talked about the difference between the assumptions we make about behaviour and the behaviour itself. We need to promote intelligent solutions and understand where people need regulation and control. He argued that the public realm doesn't respond well to regulation and control. Evidence suggests that if you remove the barriers, the regulations and the controls we create safer and more efficient shared spaces. This surely has broader lessons for how we work with and serve our communities.

Richard Reeves from Demos argued that knowledge doesn't do it because we don't believe that it will happen to us.We can't change behaviours by simply giving people information. He felt that these issues aren't generally public health problems but instead millions and millions of individual health problems. He went on to sya that we should use nannying where it affected children and young people and where actions cause harm to others. He felt that nudges should be used where the default position puts people in a better position.
Chris

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