b'ViewpointsImproving Program Outcomes with Behavior ScienceBy John Kamensky For years, government policymakers encouraged workers to increase their investments in tax-free retirement savings. But they were baffled by how many workers were leaving free money on the table by not signing up to participate in employer-matched 401K pension plans. However, when some companies changed their enrollment process from having workers opting in to the program vs. automatically enrolling them (and allowing them to opt out), enrollment rates increased by 50 percent. Why did that minor change in the enrollment process make such a big difference? It turns out that a natural human tendency is to rely on the default optionthat is, to take whats given, even if thats not the best choice. This human tendency is one of a range of human tendencies studied in what is called social behavioral science research.In the private sector, insights based on behavioral science have been used extensively for years in sales, marketing, and negotiations. But there are intriguing implications for use inassume people will make decisions based on rational the public sector as well. Pioneers in government have testedbehaviors. Therefore, we shouldnt assume customers strategies to entice citizens to recycle, volunteer, vote, andor citizens will respond rationally to rationally-designed give to charity.policies, systems, directives, or processes.Using insights based on behavioral science isnt new, butThis premisethat people cannot be assumed to be rational it has received increased prominence in the past five yearsand will make decisions that may not necessarily in their at all levels of government. It is increasingly becoming anown best interestupended the field of economics in the important part of policy and process design thinking because1990s. This same upending is in the process of happening in it is seen as a powerful way to improve program outcomes inthe field of public administration.lieu of traditional policy tools such as spending, taxes, and regulatory mandates. Understanding the insights provided through behavioral science research may help answer an age-old public What Is Behavioral Science? administration dilemma: Why do well-constructed, rational Behavioral science research studies how people reactpolicy initiatives fail? As a result, policymakers and program to changes in cues or incentives, according to theimplementers can leverage this greater understanding of Behavioural Insights Team, which originated as a temporaryhuman behavior to better design policies and programs to British government agency in 2010 to promote its use byavoid predictable cognitive biases. Or they could use it to government policymakers and program managers. A keyleverage cognitive biases as part of a policy initiative to more premise underlying the field of behavioral science is thateffectively achieve intended outcomes.everyone is prone to cognitive bias. That is, we cant WINTER 2019 / 2020 IBM Center for The Business of Government 73'