From Innovative to Imperative: Evolving the Application of Behavioral Science in the Government of Canada

Lauryn Conway (), Jessica Leifer () and Alyssa Whalen ()
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Lauryn Conway: Privy Council Office, Government of Canada
Jessica Leifer: Privy Council Office, Government of Canada
Alyssa Whalen: Privy Council Office, Government of Canada

A chapter in Behavioral Public Policy in a Global Context, 2023, pp 9-23 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In 2017, the Impact Canada Behavioral Science team was in the process of establishing its applied practice within the Canadian federal public service, following a natural path paved by pre-existing units: running proof-of-concept trials and socializing the discipline. This chapter describes a remarkable evolution to the team's current state, where behavioral science insights have become fundamental to the design and implementation of public communications, policies, and programs in priority areas for the federal government. Key developments in this trajectory include the Government of Canada’s 2016 experimentation directive, the introduction of a new staffing model to help overcome early operational challenges, the central role behavioral science played in the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 response, and the team’s strengthened in-house research capabilities to facilitate more rapid and flexible data collection. Looking forward, Impact Canada’s Behavioral Science team is now grappling with how to best translate research results at scale. This is a common challenge for many contemporary applied behavioral science teams, with unique elements for Canada's team due to Canada's federated government structure.

Keywords: Applied behavioral science; Behavioral insights; Evidence-based policy; Behavioral public policy; Government of Canada; COVID-19; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-31509-1_2

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