Doha, 05 Nov. 2021

B4Development (B4D) – the first nudge unit in the Middle East – has helped to set up a similar behavioral insights initiative in Pakistan.

The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launched the MindLab Behavioural Insights Unit within its Department of Finance after receiving technical assistance from B4D, which was launched in 2016 and originally incubated within the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ legacy program.

B4D specifically supported on institutional aspects of the set-up, along with capacity building for the new MindLab team. Work on MindLab started last year, with support from the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) program, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Dr. Fadi Makki, Director of B4D, said: “We have worked closely with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in Pakistan to set up MindLab, which aims to make a strong impact in future policymaking and ultimately make a difference to people’s lives. Helping other countries leverage the benefits of behavioural economics forms part of our vision to transfer knowledge about this subject across the region and beyond.”

MindLab follows similar nudge unit operations in Qatar, the UK, US and Singapore. Each unit seeks to leverage behavioural science tools for cost-effective, citizen-centred and easily implementable solutions to modern policy programmes.

MindLab focuses on public finance management and aims to change the way policy issues are defined, approached and resolved. Policymakers often encounter implementation problems that lead to suboptimal results for government – but also for citizens, as entrepreneurs, taxpayers, investors, homeowners, motor vehicle operators or consumers of public and private goods.

Government officials from the Finance Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority, and the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department are now being trained by B4D’s world-renowned behavioural science experts. Thanks to B4D’s support, MindLab is ideally positioned to deliver a lasting impact and has the right skillset to initiate and measure behavioural experiments.

Taimur Jhagra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Finance, said: “The public finance management focus of the new behavioural insights unit makes it the first of its kind not only in Pakistan, but the global south. Behavioural insights can be applied to domains ranging from health and sanitation to traffic compliance and climate change adaptation.”

Vardah Malik, Investment Advisor for SEED, said: “Global experiences tell us that nudge units need three key elements to succeed: support from the government, a clear scope of work and adequate technical resources for analytical work. The government has been supportive from the very beginning, our policy focus is clearly defined, and with technical support and mentoring from B4D, the unit is well-equipped for success.”

MindLab will initially focus on improving revenue mobilisation for the provincial government using behavioural tools and ‘nudges’ that have proven to be particularly successful in similar contexts.

A new trend is using insights from behavioural economics and psychology to gently ‘nudge’ people towards better choices. Governments around the world have found that this can improve outcomes for themselves and their societies.

The concept of creating behavioural insights units is increasingly being used to improve services and foster healthier and happier communities.

Founded by the SC as the Qatar Behavioural Insights Unit (QBIU) in 2016, B4Development was officially incorporated as a foundation under the Qatar Financial Centre in 2019. This has broadened its global mandate to promote and replicate its nudge work and model around the world.

B4Development has partnered with the Qatar Academy for Science and Technology (QAST) on a pioneering behavioural economics course for secondary school students. The course provided a unique platform for students to learn about behavioural economics principles that align with the Qatar National Vision 2030.