Traditional views of regulation emphasise the role of the law as the primary tool for compliance.  From this standpoint, regulation’s focus is the communication and enforcement of rules created by governing bodies with non-compliance usually punished through penalties or sanctions.  Of course, not all (or even many) regulators view their role this way, with many recognising that behaviour change is the focus of, and even synonymous with, regulation.  This recognition is important because it opens up a raft of new approaches to the practice of regulation through the use of behavioural science tools. 

Behavioural science seeks to understand behavioural motivations and by using tools to unpack these, regulators can gain a deeper understanding of why individuals and businesses behave the way they do.  Based on this understanding, behaviour change practitioners can design more effective interventions that align to these motivations and go beyond traditional law enforcement.  

Whether applying behavioural insights is supported by a large behavioural insights team or the work of one or two individuals within regulatory organisations, the goal of incorporating behavioural science into regulatory practice is to increase both compliance and outcomes.

This article discusses three tools that may be particularly useful to regulators:

1. Segmentation
2. Choose specific behaviours
3. Understanding motivation