Saturday, June 27, 2020

LSE Public Lectures and Events 2020 - Behavioural Science and Policy

LSE run an incredible set of events that are available to view or listen to as podcast on this website. Some that might be particularly relevant to readers of this blog are available below but it is very much worth looking through the archive for other podcasts that will be of interest. I am currently discussing with many colleagues potential future events related to the ongoing work in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, including on topics such as the historical and ongoing development of behavioural science, disciplinary boundaries, ethical issues, emerging evidence structures, the role of behavioural science during crises, emerging forms of practice, professionalisation.

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19: from mortality to misery?: Speaker(s):Professor Paul Dolan, Dr Daisy Fancourt, Lord O'Donnell, Professor Carol Propper:  In the current crisis, government policies, such as physical distancing, are paying enormous attention to the mortality risks of COVID-19 to the exclusion of the wellbeing hits borne elsewhere (e.g. mental health, loneliness, domestic violence, child welfare, physical health, and addiction). Is this as it should be when lives are at stake? If not, what can be done to ensure that misery is placed on a more equal footing with mortality?

Behavioural Science in the Context of Great Uncertainty: Speaker(s):Professor Nick Chater, Professor Liam Delaney, Professor Paul Dolan, Professor Ulrike Hahn, Dr Grace Lordan: The impacts of COVID-19 and how we deal with them hinge on how politicians, firms and the public respond. What lessons can we learn from behavioural science about how we act in a time of crisis characterised by great uncertainty? What lessons can behavioural science learn about how it can be best placed to provide guidance in an uncertain world? Answers to these questions are crucial to not only mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 but also to dealing better with future crises, not only caused by viruses but also by other shocks.

Using Behavioural Science for Inclusion in the City: Speaker(s):Dr Grace Lordan, Karina Robinson, Brenda Trenowden, Irshaad Ahmad, Richard Nesbitt, Teresa Parker: An inclusive workforce offers companies a distinct competitive advantage. Enhanced profits, innovation, growth, and employee wellbeing. Companies with a diverse and inclusive workforce respond better to the needs and demands of global clients and corporations. Yet creating an environment which is inclusive of all talent is not straightforward. This will be a panel discussion on ‘Inclusion in the City’, a report that gives practical insights from behavioural science research to the problems and solutions posed by people who understand the financial and services industry the best: its own talent. This event will also announce The Inclusion Initiative (@LSE_TII) at LSE. A new research programme that will create new partnerships between world-class academics, the finance and professional services sector and visionary business leaders. Leveraging insights from behavioural science TII aims to move participating firms towards an environment which is inclusive of all talent, to the benefit of bottom line.

The Carbon Conscious Consumer: going beyond nudges with nudge plus: Speaker(s):Professor Peter John, Professor Theresa M Marteau, Sanchayan Banerjee, Professor Gerry Stoker:  Recent advancements made by the UK's Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC) towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals by announcing their net zero emissions target shows the UK's commitment to tackling one of the most important challenges of the 21st century: the climate change dilemma. Can we sustain this behaviour change through old-school nudges only? Or is there a need for greater reflection on the part of individuals?

Can Behavioural Insights Shape Policy-making All Over the World?: Chair and Co-organiser: Professor Matteo Galizzi, Speaker(s): Professor Liam Delaney, Dr Barbara Fasolo, Dr Adam Oliver, Dr Jet Sanders. Insights from psychology and behavioural economics are shaping policy-making all over the world, and the LSE is helping to make this happening. In the last decade methods and insights from behavioural science have been increasingly applied to inform policy decision-making all over the world. The UK has led this global trend since 2010, when the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) - the ‘nudge unit’ - was set up within the Cabinet Office. Since then, behavioural units have been created in more than 200 public institutions – not only governments, but also international institutions (e.g. World Bank, WHO, OECD, EU), and national regulators (e.g. in the UK the Financial Conduct Authority - FCA; NEST; Public Health England - PHE) – as well as in many NGOs and non-profit companies. Since the very beginning, the LSE has been a key part of this fast-growing trend. On the teaching side, for example, the LSE Executive MSc in Behavioural Science is the world-first (and only) executive Master programme to have trained, to date, more than 250 leaders of such behavioural units across the world. On the research side, moreover, the LSE has behavioural expertise that has been regularly applied to policy projects for the betterment of society. This event will discuss these trends and the various research collaborations that behavioural scientists across all the LSE have been developing in a variety of policy domains by working together with numerous partner institutions.

Can we be happier?: Speaker(s):Professor Lord Layard: In this event about his new book, Richard Layard explores how teachers, managers, health professionals, couples, community leaders, economists, scientists, politicians, and we as individuals can create a happier world. Richard Layard is emeritus Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science and currently heads the CEP's Wellbeing Research Programme. His new book is Can We Be Happier?

How change happens: How does social change happen? Why is it so hard to anticipate? A key reason is the existence of hidden preferences, which may or may not be unleashed. Cass R. Sunstein (@CassSunstein) is currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. His latest book is How Change Happens.

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