Behavioural thinking has transformed the way government works. But after years of rapid growth, changing expectations and post-COVID reinvention, many of us are asking new questions: how do we keep behavioural thinking relevant, influential, innovative and bold?

Behavioural science in government: Bringing the magic back marks the return of the UK Government Behavioural Insights Conference – a full-day event bringing together academics and practitioners from across government to share experiences, challenge assumptions and spark new ideas.

Organised by behavioural teams in HM Revenue and Customs and other government departments and agencies, and supported by the School for Government at King’s College London, the conference will create space to think, collaborate and reconnect through short, high-impact talks, interactive sessions, panel discussions and honest reflections on what did not work, as well as what did.

Speakers

Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Across the day, we will explore four key challenges and opportunities facing behavioural practitioners in government today:

Getting Heard: How do we sustain momentum, reach influential decision-makers and ensure behavioural thinking remains at the heart of government?

Staying Curious: As behavioural tools spread across professions, how do we continue to innovate, evolve and stay distinctive?

Freedom to Fail: We often learn most from what does not work. How can we embrace useful failure, psychological safety and resilience to build learning and confidence into behavioural practice?

Bringing Others With Us: We cannot succeed alone – influence and innovation depend on collaboration across disciplines, organisations and professional boundaries.

Expect ambition. Expect openness. Expect laughter. Above all, expect the conversations you rarely get time to have.

Call for abstracts

As part of the conference, we warmly invite abstracts for talks or interactive sessions aligned with the goals and objectives above.

Please submit abstracts and speaker suggestions here, or email bcknmailbox@hmrc.gov.uk

Deadline for submissions: Monday 29 June, 17:00

Registration

To register your interest in attending the conference, please register here.

Registration fee

£15 per person for in-person attendance*
Online attendance: free

*Once your registration is confirmed, we will be in touch regarding the registration fee. The fee helps to contribute towards catering and hosting costs and ensures we can create a high-quality, inclusive experience for everyone attending in person.

Organisers

The conference is organised by:

Dr Joseph Sherlock – Assistant Professor, School for Government, King’s College London
Dr Elena Achtypi – Lead Behavioural Scientist
Daniel Alford – Customer Intelligence Lead
Huner Erdinch – Behavioural Insights Advisor

Dr Rupert Gill

Events

Events

Behavioural science in government: Bringing the magic back

Events

Behavioural science in government: Bringing the magic back