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btw - some might like to see Peter Taylor-Gooby's paper to SPA conference last year - "Dilemmas of Public Provision - the Psychological Turn in Social Policy Making" http://www.social-policy.org.uk/lincoln/Taylor-Gooby.pdf - i don't think this is password protected so hopefully you can access it - if you cannot access it and you would like me to email the .pdf file contact me directly and i'll forward as he is happy for it to be circulated Harriet Dr Harriet Clarke Lecturer, Social Work and Social Policy Institute of Applied Social Studies University of Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 415 8479 ________________________________________ From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harriet Clarke [[log in to unmask]] Sent: 10 December 2010 09:17 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] Behavioural insight team: Nudge It would be interesting to know whether there is any interest in this group in building links across community psychology and social policy, for example around 'nudge' and also the wellbeing agenda - there may of course already be lots going on here that I'm not aware of - but if others think we might usefully form a working group across disciplines I would be interested to be involved. Harriet Dr Harriet Clarke Lecturer, Social Work and Social Policy Institute of Applied Social Studies University of Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 415 8479 ________________________________________ From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Fryer, David [[log in to unmask]] Sent: 10 December 2010 08:54 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] Behavioural insight team: Nudge Dear John, Penny, Annie, Wendy and all, Wendy drew attention to this BIT stuff some time ago on the list and I looked at it then with dismay. I see it as yet another local manifestation of an internationally evident processes. I agree that one ideological function of this stuff is to draw attention away from the socially constituted nature of oppression and reposition it as the result of individual dysfunctional 'choice', that it is part of an onslaught on resources devoted to societal change etc. However I am still impressed by the legacy of Foucault (and post-Foucauldian) work, which I do not see usefully captured as about 'free' 'choice' between regulated 'options'. I am still keen on working out the contemporary implications of what Foucault was doing some decades ago or, more accurately, problematising contemporary manifestations of (re)subjectification productive of governmentality. Noxious nonsense like BIT creates opportunities for many parasites of neo-liberalism to make money but my view is that it is of far more problematic than that. I would not be at all reassured if a thorough literature review of "studies directly testing hypotheses generated by the theory" rejected them nor by "a mass of empirical evidence to back up the claim that there's a new technology of behavioural manipulation", not only because I am unimpressed methodologically by that style of claim legitimation (research) but, because I think it misses the point that this is just one more manifestation of the re-constitution of what it is to be human. Engaging with, uncovering and contesting the assemblages achieving this re-constitution seems to me an important task for community critical psychology. David ________________________________________ From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Cromby [[log in to unmask]] Sent: 09 December 2010 20:26 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Behavioural insight team: Nudge Hi This is interesting stuff. On the one hand its same old, same old: the government want to regulate and control what we 'freely' choose whilst generating the appearance of beneficence and democracy. One of the best ways of controlling a population is to give them 'free' choice but then predetermine the options they are able to viably choose between. Amongst others, Foucault was onto this some years ago. And on the other hand, from what I can find online it seems like little more than economists finally waking up to the idea that their pet theory of rational choice doesn't actually capture how most people decide in most situations. Its wrapped up in a language of 'choice architecture' which makes it sound sinister but I'm not convinced they've provided much that's actually new. I couldn't find any studies directly testing hypotheses generated by the theory - though I didn't have loads of time to spend searching - but I'm not convinced there's too much here that's new or different to the techniques that advertisers have been using for decades except that they've chucked in the behaviourist finding that its better to reward good choices than punish bad ones. The kinds of choices they want to nudge us toward 'for our own good and the good of all' will presumably include things like exercising more, smoking less, drinking only in moderation, and having sex only on Sundays and even then under a duvet with the light off and strictly in the missionary position. Yet they're employing McDonald and Pepsi to help them write health policy and representatives of the alcohol industry to advise on responsible drinking. I don't think they've yet signed up a porn star to advise on sexual moderation but that can't be far away. At the same time they're cutting funds to local government and freezing or limiting council tax, forcing steep rises in the cost of e.g. swimming pool and football pitch hire and gym use. They're putting VAT up to 20%, cutting public sector jobs and wages, reducing benefits... In this context I'd see their adoption of nudge theory as more akin to the notion of the big society: a figleaf to cover over the fact that we're being shafted. Unlike the big society it does involve them actually doing something, although it has the benefit that what's involved seems like it will cost little or nothing, adopting a rhetoric and creating some guidelines rather than actually investing in people's wellbeing. But just like the big society its a figleaf that pushes responsibility back onto us, our choices and our lifestyles. When it 'works' they'll claim the credit, when it fails - which it mostly will because there's little or no substance - they'll blame us. So its Foucault (and others) yet again: they're giving us the power to choose whilst requiring us to choose responsibly on their limited and restrictive terms. I could be wrong and there's a mass of empirical evidence to back up the claim that there's a new technology of behavioural manipulation here that actually works. If anyone knows of anything it would be good to hear it. But in the absence of that I'd be more concerned about their use of nudge theory to legitimate a cuts agenda than their use of it to manipulate our choices. Consequently, if we're to critique it then that's where I think our critique should be targeted. J. On 09/12/2010 08:25, Annie Mitchell wrote: > Dear all, Have people in the UK been following the development of the > “nudge unit “ ( behavioural insight team) ? the intentions are intended > towards social benefit ( but by getting us to change our individual > choices by changing incentives ) and while there is some sense behind it > in terms of acknowledging environmental determinants of human behaviour > , I find the whole development hugely sinister - very alarming indeed to > read ( see link below for Guardian report) “ The deputy prime minister, > Nick Clegg, said he believed the unit could change the way citizens > think.“ I didn’t read anything in the book about nudges ( or even > shoves) towards bankers and unfettered business interests. What do > others make of this development? Can we marshall a community psychology > critique? > > Annie > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/09/cameron-nudge-unit-economic-behaviour > > > ___________________________________ The Community Psychology List has a > new website/blog at: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/ There is a > threaded discussion forum: > http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi There is > a twitter feed: http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK To post on the website > blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email > addresses below. David Fryer ([log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>) or Grant Jeffrey > ([log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>) To > unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, > visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK -- ********************************************************* John Cromby Psychology Division, SSEHS Loughborough University Loughborough, Leics LE11 3TU England Tel: 01509 223000 Email: [log in to unmask] Personal webpage: http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~hujc4/ Co-Editor, "Subjectivity": www.palgrave-journals.com/sub/ ********************************************************* ___________________________________ The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/ There is a threaded discussion forum: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi There is a twitter feed: http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email addresses below. David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey ([log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK ___________________________________ The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/ There is a threaded discussion forum: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi There is a twitter feed: http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email addresses below. David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey ([log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK ___________________________________ The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/ There is a threaded discussion forum: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi There is a twitter feed: http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email addresses below. David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey ([log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK ___________________________________ The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/ There is a threaded discussion forum: http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi There is a twitter feed: http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email addresses below. David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey ([log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK