State, Behavioral Change, and Nudge in Modern Society - Essay Example

The development of public policies takes cognizance of the ability of the policy directives to achieve positive behavioral change in the society. Important public policy on issues around obesity, crime, and sustainable development has an association with human behavior (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 7). Bad behaviors in the communities can be precluded from undertaking the necessary steps to influence and encourage positive behavior. Behavior such as vandalism, stealing, and intimidation are regarded as undesirable while behaviors such as volunteering, recycling, and voting are regarded as positive (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 12). Thus, a change in behavior is an important issue in public policy discourses. Influencing the behavior of individuals has produced positive effects and informed major policy issues. An analysis of the impact of government policies on human social behavior identifies the tools that policymakers utilize to influence human behavior and offers justification for the need for government to influence behavior.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The actions of policymakers have a significant impact on human social behavior. States and governments develop public policy dictates that shape human behavior (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 13). Thus, the centrality of the government in initiating major influences on human behavior cannot be refuted. Public policies have positively influenced behavior. This claim is manifested in a responsible citizenry who can avoid drunk-driving and use seat belts to limit the number of accidents on the roads. It also manifests in the prevention of diseases such as AIDs through responsible disease-prevention mechanisms (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 13). Despite the positive effects of public policy on human behavior, it is imperative to recognize that not all policy directives have achieved desired behavioral outcomes. For example, although physical exercises reduce weight and limit the incidences of obesity among the public, many people are reluctant to take part in the exercises. Consequently, they have become obese. Such antisocial behaviors precipitate an urgent need for policy makers to explore workable policy directives that can encourage and influence positive behavior.

Influencing positive behavior can occur in the backdrop of an understanding of factors that influence behavior. Dolan et al. (2014) identified such factors as MINDSPACE. The term is an acronym which denotes messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitments and ego (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 18). Fundamentally, human beings are influenced by whoever communicates the communication (messenger) while motivations (incentives) shape human responses to a particular behavior. According to Michie et al. (2011), a reward (incentive) can be used to create a positive behavioral outcome (p. 39). A norm refers to what the majority does. If most people in the society believe in something, it becomes the norm and can influence human behavior (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 21). Defaults regard pre-set options that guide human involvement in a particular thing. While our attention to novelty characterizes salience, priming involves the influence of human behavior on the subconscious mind (Michie et al., 2011, p. 40). Its effect stems from the experience of an emotion and involves interactions that can influence human actions (Dolan et al. 2014, p. 25). Commitments involve being consistent with ones promises while ego encompasses carrying out actions in accordance with their effect on an individual. When the tools are applied appropriately, they can reduce the cost of nudging citizens (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 7). In this regard, every behavior is influenced by one or a combination of the above factors.

Influencing social and political behavior is a significant undertaking of any state or government. According to Dolan et al. (2014), such influences can seek to achieve various policy outcomes such as safer communities, a better society, and healthy and prosperous lives (p. 29). Every government is mandated to facilitate a safe environment for its people. Peace and stability characterize safe communities. In this regard, states and governments are under an obligation to pass relevant legislations to prevent the socially unacceptable behavior. The establishment of the criminal justice system is meant to execute disciplinary procedures for citizens who violate the law. However, Dolan et al. (2014) observed that the use of legislations does not necessarily change behavior. In this regard, an application of MINDSPACE tools can help in reducing deviance in the society. For example, in a crime-prone area, the police department can use reformed criminals to pass a positive message to inmates who are facing various criminal charges. Also, the criminals can make a commitment to avoid indulgence in illegal activities.

One of the fundamental roles of the government is to promote a better society because nearly everyone desires to inhabit one. If there is a significant erosion of civil life, the government is prevailed upon to intervene (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 36). In this regard, the state can initiate policy adjustments in response to the call for intervention. For example, it is the duty of every parent to ensure that children attend school regularly. Cases of truancy do not seek to promote the public good. However, in case child absenteeism persists, parents may be required to commit to the various provisions of the school regulations that regularly promote the presence of children in school. In this regard, commitment becomes an important tool in influencing positive behavior.

A healthy and prosperous citizenry is a central policy objective of the state and many policy developers. Recognizing that most people have died due to unhealthy food choices, some governments and policy makers have developed policies to promote healthy and prosperous living (Dolan et al., 2014, p. 42). Thus, it is correct for the government to influence social and political behavior in case the absence of the desired behavior encourages unhealthy living. One way to achieve this goal is to change the environment without restrictions (Michie et al., 2011, p. 42). For example, when a condition like HIV/Aids ravages a particular region of the world, legislations and regulations prohibiting movement in such a region may only lead to the increased stigma and prevalence of the disease. By utilizing analytical tools such as a messenger, it is possible to create a robust communication that encourages people to take precautions against the stigma without restricting the movement. Campaign adverts in support of the use condoms may be used as an effective intervention to avoid stigmatizing the affected population.

In light of the preceding discussion, it is evident that public policy has a significant impact on human behavior. The study has shown that influencing behavior can transcend legislations and regulations to encompass the broader aspect of MINDSPACE. The study reveals that MINDSPACE involves the use of powerful tools to change the social and political behavior of human beings. Moreover, changing social behavior is an important commitment of any government. The state has a moral duty to ensure that its citizens live in relative peace and exhibit mutual co-existence. By changing behavior positively, the government aims at achieving a better society, safer communities, as well as a healthy and prosperous citizenry. The public policy serves as a conduit for the attainment of this goal.

References

Dolan, P., Hallsworth, M., Halpern, D., King, D., Metcalfe, R., and Vlaev, I. 2014. MINDSPACE: Influencing behavior through public policy. Retrieved from https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/MINDSPACE.pdf

Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., and West, R. 2011. The behavior change wheel: a new method for characterizing and designing behavior change interventions. Implementation science, 6(1), 42.