Why Don’t We Nudge More? Behavioural Insights in a Post-Socialist Administration: The Case of Croatia

Purpose:This article examines the extent to which behavioural insights and nudging have been adopted in Croatian public administration and explores why behavioural approaches remain marginal in a post-socialist administrative context. By focusing on Croatia, the study seeks to contribute to the predominantly Western-centric literature on behavioural public policy and to deepen understanding of how behavioural ideas interact with distinct administrative traditions.Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employs a qualitative casestudy approach combining document analysis, policy mapping and secondary empirical evidence. It analyses Croatian public programmes across several policy domains, including taxation, health and transport, and interprets them using established taxonomies of behavioural measures. The Croatian experience is examined within a broader theoretical framework of behavioural public policy and post-socialist public administration. Findings: The findings show that behavioural measures in Croatia are present but largely implicit, fragmented and weakly institutionalised. Most interventions can be classified as behaviourally aligned and System 1-oriented, with behavioural effects recognised ex post rather than intentionally designed ex ante. Behaviourally informed and behaviourally tested initiatives are rare and typically driven by external actors. The limited diffusion of behavioural insights is explained by structural and cultural featuresof Croatian public administration, including legalism, politicisation, risk aversion, weak incentives for innovation and limited integration of behavioural expertise into policy processes.Practical Implications: The analysis suggests that greater use of behavioural insights requires more than the introduction of new policy tools. It calls for changes in administrative culture, incentive structures and mechanisms for policy learning, as well as closer collaboration with academic and expert communities. Without such institutional support, behavioural approaches are likely to remain marginal.Originality/Value: The article provides the first systematic analysis of behavioural public policy in Croatia. It contributes to the literature on behavioural governance by addressing the underrepresentation of postsocialist countries in comparative studies. It also advances the debate on behavioural public policy and administration by shifting attention from the ethics and effectiveness of nudges to the administrative conditions under which behavioural governance can emerge.