Co-designing behavioural public policy: lessons from the field about how to ‘nudge plus’

Background: Behavioural public policies, known as nudges, suffer from lack of citizen consent and involvement, which has led to an argument for more reflective ‘nudge plus’. Aims objectives: How can reflection be introduced in a way that is not itself top-down paternalist spite good intentions? might these pluses’ develop on the ground? Methods: This paper reports mixed-methods case study. Findings: In study, there was intervention started off nudge, using randomised controlled trial. The nudge then evolved into bottom-up initiative with input aided by design lab approach. Discussion conclusion: One address tensions between approaches let messiness loss direct control implied lab, whereby pluses evolve naturally without expert direction. success eventual points design-based plus interventions. Nudge may emerge result evolutionary co-design process. There potential replication, cross-fertilisation different traditions introducing behaviour change policies