7  Behaviour  Change  Project  Design  Principles  and  their  Application  to  Market  Systems  Development  Project  Design    

Behaviour  Change  Principle   Definition   Project  Design  Principles  

Principle  1:    Most  people  live  by  their  commitments  

People  tend  to  follow  commitments  they  make  when  witnessed  by  others  

-­‐ Make  the  follow  through  on  a  commitment  easier  -­‐ Identify  ways  to  encourage  actions  that  stick  to  the  plan  -­‐ Introduce  expensive  and/or  aggressive  contracts  or  penalties  

Principle  2:  People  sometimes  need  to  go  around  to  get  ahead  

People  often  need  vehicles/mechanisms  to  get  around  difficult  social  requirements  in  a  way  that  is  not  damaging  

-­‐ Avoid  exacerbating  existing  self-­‐control  problems  -­‐ Reduce  the  need  for  people  to  exert  self-­‐control  

Principle  3:  Making  the  default  option  the  right  option    

People  tend  to  take  the  default  option  because  it  is  easier  even  if  not  clear  why      

-­‐ Reduce  the  number  of  things  people  have  to  do  to  take  advantage  of  it    

-­‐ The  default  should  align  with  the  desired  behaviour  change  and  represent  an  ideal  outcome;  if  the  poor  have  to  opt  out,    they  have  to  take  action  and  actively  select  not  to  do  something  

Principle  4:  A  little  incentive  can  go  a  long  way      

Small  incentives  are  enough  for  large  consequences  

-­‐ Size  of  an  incentive  should  be  as  small  as  possible  to  catalyse  movement/testing  

-­‐ Caution  should  be  taken  if/when  the  incentive  is  the  primary  driver  of  change    

-­‐ Incentives  are  both  economic  and  non-­‐economic  Principle  5:    Remind  them  again  and  again  

Reminders  do  help  people  stay  on  track  as  intended  in  a  change  process  

-­‐ Help  people  to  remember  -­‐ Make  wilful  neglect  difficult  and  abandonment  harder  to  carry  out  

Principle  6:    Normal  is  good    

People  are  more  comfortable  when  they  belong  and  messaging  that  a  behaviour  is  part  of  belonging  can  be  powerful    

-­‐ Pay  attention  to  both  the  benefits  of  doing  something  but  also  around  the  costs  of  not  doing  it  

-­‐ Create  peer  comparisons  -­‐ Message  around  what  is  a  ‘normal  behaviour’  -­‐ Using  multiple  media:  information  campaigns,  billboards,  letters,  television  or  radio  advertisements,  and  now  personalized  messaging  through  phones  

Principle  7:    When  normal  is  not  good  

Change  can  require  pushing  back  on  the  customary  way  of  doing  things,  and  to  be  effective  at  pushing  back  requires  clear  information  and  evidence  on  costs  and  benefits    

-­‐ Provide  information  or  evidence  that  directly  targets  the  beliefs  at  the  core  of  the  flawed  mental  model  has  a  better  chance  of  success  

 Adapted  from  Datta,  S.,  and  Mullainathan,  S.  (2012),  ‘Behavioral  Design  A  New  Approach  to  Development’,  Center  for  Global  Development,  CGD  Policy  Paper  016  November  2012