Nudging GCC citizens to sustainability: the imperatives of cultural awareness & local knowledge
Many GCC governments have established or are in the process of establishing behavioural economics (“nudge”) units as an additional instrument of policymaking, with the support of Western experts. With sustainability considerations becoming more central in the policy development process, nudging has a key role to play in effectively changing citizen behaviour. Yet local specificities mean that replicating models which have worked abroad is fraught with risk: social habits among GCC citizens can result in nudge campaigns having the opposite effects to the ones intended. In this context, it is essential to leverage local expertise to ensure campaigns are effectively delivered and government efficiency is maximized.