Applying behavioural sciences to EU policy-making

Policy-making can greatly benefit from a better understanding of people's behaviour. Often the assumption has been that people are 'rational'. However, this assumption has been shown to be unrealistic, and perhaps explains the limited effectiveness of some policies in the past. Well-designed behavioural studies can offer useful insights to policy-makers by generating the evidence required to improve policies. Such studies are applicable to a wide range of EU policy areas, wherever a behavioural element exists. Whether policy-makers aim at changing behaviour or designing better regulations, greater knowledge on how people are likely to behave should serve them well.