"Unprecedented social, environmental, political and economic challenges — such as pandemics and epidemics, environmental degradation and community violence — require taking stock of how to promote behaviours that benefit individuals and society at large. In this Review, we synthesize multidiscip
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linary meta-analyses of the individual and social-structural determinants of behaviour (for example, beliefs and norms, respectively) and the efficacy of behavioural change interventions that target them. We find that, across domains, interventions designed to change individual determinants can be ordered by increasing impact as those targeting knowledge, general skills, general attitudes, beliefs, emotions, behavioural skills, behavioural attitudes and habits. Interventions designed to change social-structural determinants can be ordered by increasing impact as legal and administrative sanctions; programmes that increase institutional trustworthiness; interventions to change injunctive norms; monitors and reminders; descriptive norm interventions; material incentives; social support provision; and policies that increase access to a particular behaviour. We find similar patterns for health and environmental behavioural change specifically. Thus, policymakers should focus on interventions that enable individuals to circumvent obstacles to enacting desirable behaviours rather than targeting salient but ineffective determinants of behaviour such as knowledge and beliefs." (Abstract)
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"[This is] a practical tool to guide CRS’ Social and Behavior Change (SBC) work across all program sectors. It provides: an understanding of basic principles of human behavior and social change; definitions of key terms and concepts; explanation of the essential steps in the social and behavior ch
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ange process; description of key, evidence-based, effective SBC processes; checklists and templates to guide teams through planning and implementation of SBC steps and practices; a curated list of resources for staff to consult for more detailed guidance on specific topics." (Page 1)
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"People are diverse and unpredictable. How can we better understand them and even predict what they’ll do? While we are all different, a growing body of research is revealing there are consistencies in human decisionmaking and behaviour. This research has challenged classical, ‘rational’ model
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s of behaviour used in economics. Social, historical and cultural contexts, the environment and how mental shortcuts shape everyday decision-making are increasingly informing work in this space. Behavioural Science employs evidence and data from people all over the world to design theories that explain – and ideally predict – how and why people make decisions. Behavioural theories and models can provide an evidence-based framework, to analyse, design and evaluate work in SBC." (Page 1)
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"There is momentum for change. The COVID-19 crisis has emphasized the need for quality SBC programming, and has provided opportunities to improve the way we work. Behavioural approaches which have long been adopted outside the development and humanitarian industries are now getting more traction in
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our sector. UNICEF managers have called for the next generation of SBC programmes. As the organization enters its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, capacities and activities will be progressively aligned with this new vision, so that interventions on the ground continue to diversify and improve over the coming years. This Programme Guidance is a key building block to realize the new vision and strengthen the SBC function. Within UNICEF, this guidance is part of a larger renewed business model which touches upon different strategic and operational components to change our institutional system. This guidance is also designed to be useful to the needs of our many partners outside UNICEF, because building local and national capacities and stronger communities of practice is central to our mission. We want this guidance to fuel interaction and collaboration with local authorities, civil societies, donors and financial partners, the private sector, UN agencies and NGOs. Ultimately, we hope this guidance can support our commitment to helping countries and citizens improve the lives of children." (Vision for SBC, page 2)
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"This document serves as a guide for how to develop a Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy or Plan for a single-country or multi-country SBC programme. Developing an SBC Strategy hinges upon understanding the unique circumstances and world views of the individuals the strategy seeks to serve.
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These insights will help you design customised solutions for local challenges. By understanding the barriers to certain behaviours, services or a system from the perspective of community members, you will be able to develop more sensitive, evidence-based and human-centred solutions that respond to people’s needs." (Objective, page 1)
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"In a review of the academic and practitioner literature on behaviour change we find that one system offers the best response to the challenges we have identified: The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), developed by Professor Susan Michie and colleagues. It is comprehensive, theory-based, evidence-backed
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and links the problem to intervention design. At the heart of the BCW is the system of behaviour called “COM-B”. This means that for any behaviour change (B) to take place, people need to have Capability, Opportunity and Motivation: 1. Capability involves psychological dimensions (e.g. the knowledge and skill to perform an action) as well as physical dimensions (strength and stamina); 2. Opportunity includes both social (e.g. norms) and physical (e.g. resources) enablers; 3. Motivation includes “reflective” (e.g. conscious decision-making) and “automatic” (e.g. emotion and habit) processes. Beneath these are fourteen sub-dimensions or “domains”, including knowledge, skills, memory, emotion and social influences, among others. The COM-B system is linked to a further layer of nine intervention functions including education, persuasion, training and modelling. Finally, these intervention functions are mapped against policy categories, including communication, marketing and guidelines." (Page 5)
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"Consideration of social norms is a key component missing from many anti-corruption efforts, and we believe this absence partially explains the difficulty the sector has experienced in stimulating lasting behavior change away from corrupt practices. This is particularly true in fragile and conflict-
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affected states. Yet they are often overlooked in efforts to understand why corrupt patterns of behavior (regardless of the form) exist and why they are so resilient to intervention. Social norms are the mutual expectations held by members of a group about the right way to behave in a particular situation. They matter tremendously to the choices an individual makes about how to behave in certain situations because people want to be liked and to belong. We often follow prevailing group behaviors to gain or avoid losing social appreciation, respect, and acceptance. Whether a corrupt act is supported by mutual expectations within a group will influence an individual’s choice to participate in or resist the corrupt practice in a particular context. The desire to belong and behave “correctly” may lead the individual to engage in corruption, even if he or she believes corruption is wrong and that people should act with integrity. The importance of belonging can override contrary attitudes, morals, and even the prospect of legal penalties, particularly in fragile states where uncertainty and insecurity prevail and one’s social connections are key to survival." (Introduction, page 8-9)
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"Every day we take dozens of decisions that influence the nutrition of our family members, friends, colleagues and our own. These decisions depend on the determinants for good nutrition of the UNICEF Framework and the four dimensions of Food and Nutrition Security: availability, access, use/utilizat
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ion and stability. They are therefore very different in the North of Mali, a mega-city in India or rural Europe. At the same time there is more to food than the socio-economic facts. Food has cultural and religious dimensions; it can define affiliation to groups of society or status. Not only long-term well-being but also short-term personal satisfaction is linked to our food intake.
Therefore, these guidelines cover a topic that goes beyond these four dimensions by addressing the existing scope for behavioural changes in any given environment. Our joint vision to overcome hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030 will only come true, if we not only strengthen the socio-economic capacities of people but also strengthen the capacities to make the right nutrition choices and stick to them. Information on healthy diets is important but not enough to make a difference in the long run. We have to question our approach and develop it further based on evidence not assumptions. Sound analyses of the target group and the underlying factors of nutrition choices are key. Applying the knowledge of behavioural science helps to tap into the psychological and social effects. This tool guides you systematically with concrete examples to work on increasing motivation and breaking barriers for nutrition. With frequency and consistency." (Foreword)
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