May 13, 2021

Professor Benjamin van Rooij on The Behavioural Code

Professor Benjamin van Rooij on The Behavioural Code

Why are many of the laws & regulations that are put in place, either ineffective or counter-productive? How can we make them more effective?

That's the question that my guest on this episode, Professor Benjamin van Rooij of Amsterdam University,...

Why are many of the laws & regulations that are put in place, either ineffective or counter-productive? How can we make them more effective?

That's the question that my guest on this episode, Professor Benjamin van Rooij of Amsterdam University, explores in a new book he's co-authored with Professor Adam Fine. The book isn't out until later this year, but Benjamin kindly agreed to join me to tell me more about it.

Benjamin first appeared on the show last year, looking at COVID Compliance — exploring the effectiveness of government attempts to influence our behaviour. You'll find that episode here:
👉 https://www.podpage.com/the-human-risk-podcast/professor-benjamin-van-rooij-on-covid-compliance/

On this episode, we catch up on his COVID research and then discuss his new book The Behavioural Code. You can find out more about that here 👉https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676270/the-behavioral-code-by-benjamin-van-rooij/

In our discussion, Benjamin highlights some of the ways in which the law influences us in ways we might not realise and explores how some traditional ideas about how we can get people to behave in a particular way are flawed - they either don't work or are counter-productive.
What he has to say is fascinating for people whose job involves influencing others — so Compliance, Legal, Audit, HR, Comms — but also for each of us as citizens. With a better understanding of what works from a legal perspective, we can make smarter decisions about who we vote for.

To learn more about Benjamin's work, visit his website 👉https://www.uva.nl/profiel/r/o/b.vanrooij/b.vanrooij.html?cb
You can also find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/benfuzi