Behavioural Science and Public Policy

What is the course about?

This course aims to acquaint students with the young and vibrant field of behavioural public policy, which is intrinsically multidisciplinary. Its main objectives are:

• to introduce students to key findings of behavioural sciences (for students who are new to the field),
• to highlight the multifaceted relevance of behavioural findings for public policy and law,
• to study real-world examples of behaviourally informed public policy in Europe, and 
• to take a critical perspective on the use of behavioural findings in policy-making and law-making. 

The online course will start with an introduction to behavioural insights and cover how empirical findings from psychology have profoundly influenced economics through the notion of ‘bounded rationality’. Then, we will turn to the relevance of empirical knowledge about how people behave for policymaking and lawmaking. We will also investigate the specific EU context and learn how EU policies and laws are made and how they already incorporate behavioural knowledge.  

The usefulness of behavioural insights for governments is often associated with “nudges”, but we will see how this is only part of the story. We will explore debates over the legitimacy of using psychology in policymaking and the effectiveness of behavioural interventions. We will also reflect on how private actors leverage behavioural insights and what sort of regulation this calls for. These general lines of enquiry will be related to specific policy topics, such as consumer protection in online environments, the promotion of sustainable behaviour and healthy lifestyles. 

The intensive residential week will take place at the UCLouvain Brussels campus in April. Students will attend classes, meet with EU officials involved in behavioural policymaking, and work on a team project. 

Course format and schedule

• Online: February 16, 23; March 2, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30; April 5, 6, 12.
• On site: April 19-23: Residential week on Brussels Saint-Louis campus (UCLouvain).

Classes will be on Tuesdays from 6 pm to 8 pm (Brussels time). Tutorials (small-group sessions with a tutor) will be on Monday (the day before some of the online classes), from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. 

Who can apply?

Master's students in psychology, economics, law, political science, and philosophy.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, you will:

• Be able to explain in a rigorous manner some key results from behavioural science and discuss their relevance to policymaking, in a given context.
• Be familiar with key texts in the literature on behavioural policymaking, including critical ones.
• Be able to relate ideas discussed in those texts to real-world examples.
• Be familiar with the EU framework for bringing scientific evidence to policymaking and some behavioural studies the EU has commissioned.
• Be able to discuss a behavioural policy question in this EU context.
• Have developed a capacity to discuss the processes of behavioural policymaking from your own disciplinary angle (psychology, economics, law, political science, philosophy).  

Workload

The estimated workload for this course is approximately 125 hours.

The online course (24 hours) will consist of three types of meetings:

• 7 classes of 2 hours each 
• 5 small group sessions (1,5 hours each) 
• 2 online meetings: one to kick off the course (1 hour) and one to close the online part and discuss preparation for the residential week (1,5 hour).  

Homework (40-50 hours): During the online phase, students should plan enough time to prepare each tutorial (read, watch videos, reflect on questions, write short assignments). After the online course, students will need to read materials and prepare for the residential week.  

Residential week (30 hours): During the residential week, our working days will run from 9 am to 5 pm (with a lunch break). Group work sessions will be included in the schedule, and there will be no homework.  

After the residential week, students should plan time to finalise their portfolio (20 hours, or much less for those who have done the coursework regularly).  

Assessment

You will be evaluated on both your teamwork (tutorials and residential week) and your individual progress and reflection (portfolio).  

The evaluation of teamwork will be based on:

• 5 weekly team assignments relating to the readings, to be handed in after each tutorial 
• A set of questions to Commission officials  
• One final presentation at the end of the residential week  

Individual evaluation will be based on a learning journal where you will reflect on different aspects of your learning journey (guidance will be provided) 

Participants will receive a grade. 

More information

For more detailed information about the course, follow the link to the course page at UCLouvain.

How to apply

Students interested in the course need to complete the application form by September 25th and will receive a response by October 1st. 

Funding

The course is organised as a blended intensive program (BIP) within Erasmus+, and hence you may apply for a grant at your home university. Please contact the mobility office at your university for more information:

• Aarhus University: aarhus@circle-u.eu
• University of Belgrade: Nikola Savic nikola.savic@rect.bg.ac.rs
• Humboldt Universität zu Berlin: circle-u.mobility@hu-berlin.de
• King’s College London: : circle-u@kcl.ac.uk (Erasmus+ funding not available; internal funding may apply)
• UCLouvain: no grant is available, as the course is hosted by UCLouvain
• University of Oslo: oslo@circle-u.eu
• Université Paris Cité: circleu.iro@u-paris.fr and our website (u-paris.fr).
• University of Pisa: circleU.erasmus@unipi.it and our website (unipi.it).
• University of Vienna: circle-u@univie.ac.at