All tools are informational now: how information and persuasion define the tools of government

The toolbox of governments increasingly resembles a set of informational cues and prompts. Governments and other public sector organisations realise that the traditional tools of government, such as law and finance, need a supportive informational context to be effective. Recent developments in British government show that the distinction between nudge-like interventions and the traditional policy instruments cannot be sustained. These informational resources have increased the capacity of government and they can help alleviate the problems of top-down forms of intervention. In short, an informational focus to the tools of government can enhance more traditional forms of intervention.