The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray
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Implication
Policy analysis demonstrates limited efficacy of individual-level interventions in behavioral governance, indicating systemic reforms are critical for meaningful impact.
Key Points
- To evaluate how the behavioral science focus on individual-level solutions (i-frame) rather than systemic reform (s-frame) has impacted the effectiveness of public policy.
- Conceptual policy analysis examining behavioral public policy paradigms.
- Case evaluation of six policy domains, focusing on climate change, obesity, retirement savings, and plastic waste.
- Individual-level interventions produce disappointingly modest effects compared to structural and institutional measures.
- Promoting individual-level framing deflects public attention and political support away from systemic interventions such as taxation and regulation.
- Long-term policy success requires behavioral scientists to apply behavioral insights directly to the design and implementation of systemic changes.
Cite This Study
Chater et al. (2022) studied this question.