For whom → policy professionals
Behavioural design × AI training for government

Design policy that|

Everything you do as a policy professional, from regulation to campaigns to grant schemes, depends on human behaviour. Most policy is designed for the rational citizen: the one who reads the leaflet, weighs the options, and acts accordingly. That citizen does not exist. Behavioural Design gives you the tools to design for the citizen who actually is.

Nine policy behaviour challenges → Or jump straight to our programmes →

10.000+
trained
9.3/10
rating
EQAC
accredited
€1.190
from excl. VAT
Government and policy professionals during the Behavioural Design Fundamentals training at SUE Amsterdam

10,000+ professionals trained, including people from

Heineken ING Bank KPN Randstad Achmea Adyen Eneco ANWB Roche European Commission Gemeente Amsterdam DPG Media Sony ABN AMRO Booking.com Heineken ING Bank KPN Randstad Achmea Adyen Eneco ANWB Roche European Commission Gemeente Amsterdam DPG Media Sony ABN AMRO Booking.com
Policy is a behaviour profession

Every policy professional runs into these behaviour challenges.

Information campaigns, grant schemes, enforcement. Again and again: the policy is clear but citizens do not change their behaviour. The question is not whether you recognise this. The question is how you break through it.

01 · Campaigns

Why does the information campaign reach everyone but change no one?

The leaflet is sent, the website is live, the press release is out. Behaviour does not change. Information is not the same as behaviour change.

02 · Participation

Why does the consultation only attract the usual suspects?

The process is open, the invitations are broad, the documentation is complete. Still the same twelve people show up. Participation is a design problem.

03 · Uptake

Why does nobody claim the grant that was designed for them?

The subsidy is available, the conditions are reasonable, the need is real. Applications stay low. Friction, not lack of interest, is the barrier.

04 · Compliance

Why does enforcement not durably change behaviour?

The fine is issued, the inspection is completed, the fine is paid. The behaviour does not change. Enforcement that does not design for the automatic mind is a short-term fix.

05 · Policy on paper

Why does the policy make sense but fail in practice?

The analysis was thorough, the consultation was broad, the implementation plan was detailed. In practice, citizens behave differently. Theory and behaviour are different things.

06 · Nudging

How do I design a choice environment that steers without mandating?

Between information and enforcement lies a world of design choices. Default settings, order, framing, social proof. Most policy teams never use them.

07 · Engagement

How do I reach citizens who do not seek out government information?

The engaged citizen finds the policy. The policy needs to find the disengaged citizen. That requires a different approach.

08 · Regulation

Why does new regulation create workarounds instead of compliance?

The rule is clear. The enforcement is credible. People find a way around it. Regulation that does not account for incentives creates creative compliance.

09 · Evaluation

How do I measure whether the policy actually changed behaviour?

Output is not outcome. Leaflets distributed is not behaviour changed. Designing policy evaluation around behaviour is a skill most teams do not have.

Why the SUE Behavioural Design method

Behavioural science made practical for professionals who are not behavioural experts.

Most behavioural science knowledge is locked in academic papers and consultancy reports. SUE built its own method, the Influence Framework, which translates that knowledge into a practical step-by-step process any policy professional can apply, without a scientific background.

Read: the SUE Influence Framework explained →
SUE Influence Framework
No academic theory — you work on your own policy case during the training and go home with a fully worked-out plan
Built on Kahneman, Cialdini and Thaler, scientifically grounded but accessible for practitioners
Our own method, the Influence Framework is not taught anywhere else, described in the #1 management bestseller
16 years of experience, from ING to Heineken to the Dutch Government: the method has been proven on the biggest government & policy challenges in the Netherlands
Springest
9.3/10
★★★★★
Google
4.8/5
★★★★★
Bloomville
5.0/5
★★★★★
Certified by
EQAC accredited
The ideal starting point

Three featured programmes for government & policy

Individually, with your whole team, or as self-study. Three formats in which you learn how to design behaviour in onboarding, retention, culture change and sustainable employability. Choose the format that fits your role, schedule and organisation.

Behavioural Design Fundamentals
Individual

Behavioural Design Fundamentals Course

The ideal choice if you want to acquire the skill yourself. You build a deep understanding of how people make decisions and learn how to apply those insights the next day in recruitment, retention or culture.

Live · 2 days · Amsterdam or online · own pace · certificate · AI inside
View training
Behavioural Design team training
Team Training

Behavioural Design Masterclass

Work as a team for one day on one policy challenge of your choice: policy uptake, compliance, citizen participation, public-behaviour change or a campaign. You go home with a concrete intervention you can test the following week.

1 day · at your location max 16 participants
View team training
Deep Dive Leading Change and Transformation
Online · Own pace

Deep Dive Leading Change & Transformation

For government & policy professionals who guide change processes. Learn why change stalls and how to get employee and manager behaviour on board, using proven behavioural science techniques.

Online · own pace certificate · AI inside
View online training
Our full range

Or browse all our trainings and programmes

In addition to the three featured trainings above, we have a broader range. Choose below the format that suits you. Every path leads to the same goal: designing citizen behaviour that works across policy, campaigns, compliance and participation.

Individual · 2 days
Live in Amsterdam →
Job-ready in 2 days. Next start: coming soon.
At your own pace
Online self-paced →
Become a Behavioural Designer alongside your job.
For your whole team
Team training →
One behavioural challenge, one team, one breakthrough.
Results, not satisfaction scores

Proven in government

Ministry of Justice logo

Help office employees form hand-washing habits.

“I am so happy with these results. We can roll this out with confidence.” Our interventions increased individual hand-washing by 165%.

Majka van Doorn — Coordinator Behaviour Team, DG Society and Covid-19, Ministry of Justice

GGD Zeeland logo

Increase flu vaccination among healthcare employees.

Vaccination increased up to threefold in participating organisations.

GGD Zeeland

See more government cases →

What policy professionals say after the training

10.000+ professionals have followed a SUE Behavioural Design training.

The policy professionals among them have one thing in common: afterwards they look at campaigns, regulation and citizen behaviour differently.

After the training

What policy professionals do differently after the Behavioural Design training

Not abstract knowledge. Concrete changes in how you approach policy design, citizen behaviour and public interventions.

You analyse citizen behaviour before you design the policy intervention

You use the Influence Framework as your starting point: what drives these employees, what's holding them back, what context helps?

You design the choice environment, not just policy communication

You shape the work environment so that the desired behaviour becomes the easiest choice, not just the most communicated one.

You speak the language of behaviour in policy decisions

You share a common framework with your team: goals, anxieties, habits, context, friction, triggers. Policy decisions become more concrete and better grounded.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Behavioural Design for government & policy

Most participants start without any prior knowledge. The training teaches you the behavioural science you need, linked directly to your own policy practice. No academic theory for its own sake, just actionable insights you can apply the very next day in your campaigns, participation processes or policy design work.

You learn the SUE Influence Framework: a method for analysing why citizens do what they do, and for designing policy that genuinely changes behaviour. You work on your own policy case during the training, such as policy uptake, compliance or a public-behaviour campaign, and go home with a fully worked-out strategy you can apply the next day.

The training is most valuable for experienced policy professionals. You've got the practical experience. The training gives you the scientific framework that backs up your intuition and sharpens your approach. Many participants say afterwards: I was already doing parts of this, but now I understand why some policies work and others don't.

A deliberately mixed group: HR professionals, marketers, communication advisers, policymakers and leaders all together. Maximum 16 participants. That mix is what makes it valuable, because you learn not only from the content but also from how people in other sectors deal with similar behavioural challenges.

Yes. We invoice in the company name and the training is EQAC-accredited, which makes reimbursement easier. Get in touch if you need a quote or additional information for your request.

Start with the Fundamentals. That gives you the complete Behavioural Design framework: the Influence Framework, the JTBD method and all core tools. A Deep Dive builds on that with government-specific applications. Without the Fundamentals, the Deep Dive lacks its foundation.

The Fundamentals course is the broad foundational training: 2 days live (or 33 online lessons) in which you learn the complete Behavioural Design framework. After that, you can apply it to any policy challenge. A Deep Dive training lasts 1 day and goes deep on one specific topic, such as citizen participation, compliance or nudge policy design. If you do both, the Fundamentals course is always the first step.

Yes. The Behavioural Design training is EQAC-certified, which makes reimbursement from employers easier. We invoice in the company name and provide a quote on request. The course is given in Amsterdam and online. Get in touch for personal advice on which training best fits your situation.

Ready to take the step? View the next start date or ask your question.

View start dates → Ask a question

10.000+ professionals have gone before you · 9.3/10 rating · EQAC accredited

Behavioural Design is the missing layer.

Why a well-intentioned government & policy initiative doesn't automatically change behaviour

Behavioural Design for government professionals is the application of behavioural science to policy design, citizen engagement, public behaviour change and regulatory compliance. The method helps you understand why citizens do what they do, and how to design the policy environment so that the desired behaviour becomes the natural choice.

1
96% of behaviour is automatic. Most policy interventions address the conscious mind: leaflets, information campaigns, public messaging. The Behavioural Design Method teaches you to read the unconscious, and design for it.
2
Five forces shape every behaviour. Pains, gains, anxieties, comforts and jobs-to-be-done. The SUE Influence Framework teaches you to recognise them in citizens, and use them to influence policy decisions.
3
Behaviour is designable. The Behavioural Design Method gives you a step-by-step process for changing the work environment, not the person, so that ownership, engagement and sustainable employability become the natural default.
Read more about the Behavioural Design Method →
Personal advice

Would you prefer to discuss the options with us?

Book a no-obligation discovery call. Marjan will connect you with the right SUE specialist who can give you targeted advice based on experience with government & policy challenges.

Marjan Krom, Happiness and Hospitality Manager SUE
Marjan Krom
Happiness & Hospitality Manager
Email
academy@sueamsterdam.com
Phone
(+31) 20 223 46 26
Location
's-Gravenhekje 1a
1011 TG Amsterdam

Book a call

Choose a moment that suits you.

Further reading

Policy & behavioural science: the most-read articles

1
Sectors
Behavioural Design for government: why good policies fail
 2
Nudging
Nudging in practice: How to design effective nudges
 3
Choice architecture
What is choice architecture? Definition, examples & principles
 4
Nudging
Defaults explained: The most powerful tool in Behavioural Design
 5
Behavioural design
What is sludge? How unnecessary friction blocks good behaviour
 6
Social norms
What is a social norm? Definition, types and real-world examples
 7
Influence
The SUE Influence Framework explained
 8
Behavioural science
Why change management fails: the behavioural explanation
Read all articles on policy & behavioural science → The Art of Designing Behaviour
Book by Astrid Groenewegen
The Art of Designing Behaviour
The complete practical guide to using behavioural science to change what people do.
#1 Bestseller · The standard in behavioural design
Astrid Groenewegen
Astrid Groenewegen
Co-founder, SUE Behavioural Design
Weekly newsletter

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