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Ontario’s Behavioural Insights Unit

about:

Ontario’s Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU) was officially created in 2015, with a mandate to enhance public services by leveraging behavioural science research. It is the first government unit dedicated to the practice of behavioural insights in Canada. The BIU is part of the Centre of Excellence for Evidence-Based Decision Making within the Treasury Board Secretariat and supports the application of a behavioural science lens in policy development and program implementation. This means building capacity, providing advisory services, and designing and evaluating solutions. The BIU often collaborates with academic partners who provide expert advice in the design and evaluation of policies and programs. Behavioural insights is applicable to a wide variety of domains, and the BIU works collaboratively with numerous ministries, agencies and other levels of government.

See more at https://www.ontario.ca/page/behavioural-insights-ontario-update-report-2018.

3 questions:

  • What motivated you to join this partnership?

BEAR has been a fantastic partner since the BIU’s early days as a proof of concept. As researchers in government, we benefit from academic partnerships, and we have been fortunate to tap into BEAR’s expertise on various BIU projects.

  • What aspect of the research agenda are you most excited about?

We are particularly interested in the framework for behaviour change (comparing regulation, incentives, nudges, and information provision) as well as mechanisms to embed behavioural insights in organizations: “How can governments and welfare organizations become behaviourally informed?”

  • How do you plan to use the results from the research coming out of the partnership?

We will use the research to better conceptualize and implement BI at a provincial government level.