TY - JOUR
T1 - Applying behavioural economics to health systems of low-and middle-income countries
T2 - What are policymakers' and practitioners' views?
AU - Trujillo, Antonio J.
AU - Glassman, Amanda
AU - Fleisher, Lisa K.
AU - Nair, Divya
AU - Duran, Denizhan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Interest in behavioural economics has soared in recent years, particularly because of its application to several areas of public policy, now including international development, education, and health. Yet, little is known about how the policy and political implications of behavioural economics are perceived among stakeholders. Using an innovative vignette-based online survey, we assessed the opinions of 520 policymakers and practitioners around the world about health policy recommendations emanating from behavioural economics principles that are relevant to low- and middle-income country settings. We also determined the sources of disagreement among the respondents. The results suggest that there is strong support for health policies based on the concepts of framing choices to overcome present bias, providing periodic information to form habits, and messaging to promote social norms. There is less support for policies which use cash rewards as extrinsic motivators either to change individual behaviour related to the management of chronic conditions or to mitigate risky sexual behaviour. The sources of disagreement for these policy prescriptions derive mainly from normative concerns and perceived lack of effectiveness of such interventions. Addressing these disagreements may require developing a broader research agenda to explore the policy and political implications of these prescriptions.
AB - Interest in behavioural economics has soared in recent years, particularly because of its application to several areas of public policy, now including international development, education, and health. Yet, little is known about how the policy and political implications of behavioural economics are perceived among stakeholders. Using an innovative vignette-based online survey, we assessed the opinions of 520 policymakers and practitioners around the world about health policy recommendations emanating from behavioural economics principles that are relevant to low- and middle-income country settings. We also determined the sources of disagreement among the respondents. The results suggest that there is strong support for health policies based on the concepts of framing choices to overcome present bias, providing periodic information to form habits, and messaging to promote social norms. There is less support for policies which use cash rewards as extrinsic motivators either to change individual behaviour related to the management of chronic conditions or to mitigate risky sexual behaviour. The sources of disagreement for these policy prescriptions derive mainly from normative concerns and perceived lack of effectiveness of such interventions. Addressing these disagreements may require developing a broader research agenda to explore the policy and political implications of these prescriptions.
KW - Behaviour change
KW - developing countries
KW - economics
KW - health behaviour
KW - health care seeking behaviour
KW - health policy
KW - health systems research
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U2 - 10.1093/heapol/czu052
DO - 10.1093/heapol/czu052
M3 - Article
C2 - 24972828
AN - SCOPUS:84937396780
SN - 0268-1080
VL - 30
SP - 747
EP - 758
JO - Health policy and planning
JF - Health policy and planning
IS - 6
ER -