Artikel 12: Kulturforandring i regeljunglen 3 - Oplevede byrder og adfærdsdesign

For english see below

I Artikel #5: ”Hvad koster en regel egentlig?” gennemgik vi, hvordan man udregner omkostningerne ved en regel. I denne artikel kommer vi nærmere ind på, hvorfor klassiske regnemodeller kommer til kort, når det kommer til byrder – selv om de bliver bedre og bedre.

Igennem mange år har virksomheder klaget over de store byrder forbundet med statistiske indberetninger, selv om AMVAB-målinger viste, at byrderne ikke var særligt store. Det gjaldt ikke alene i Danmark, men på tværs af hele Europa. Det kunne ”regnedrengene” ikke forstå.

Nærmere undersøgelser viste imidlertid, at virksomheder består af mennesker, og mennesker er adfærdsstyrede på alle mulige måder. Interviews påviste, at virksomhedsejere i særligt små- og mellemstore virksomheder var virkeligt trætte af statistik-indberetninger, og at de var tordnende ligeglade med, om det tog lang eller kort tid at lave dem – for oplevelsen var, at det tog lang tid og var dødirriterende. Derfor har man i dag fokus på oplevede byrder (også kaldet irritationsbyrder – eller ”perceived burdens” på engelsk), og for år tilbage havde danske myndigheder et byrdejægerkorps af sociologer og antropologer, der tog ud i virksomheder og observerede, hvordan de i praksis arbejdede med en konkret regel eller indberetning, og det blev tydeligt, at faktorer som forståelse og relevans spiller en større rolle end tiden alene.

”Hvorfor skal jeg som frisørmester pålægges at oplyse mine FoU investeringer? Jeg ved ikke, hvad det betyder – og selv når I forklarer mig det, så forsker og udvikler jeg ikke i min salon. Jeg klipper, krøller og farver hår.”

Viden om folks adfærd kan benyttes til at skabe mere effektiv regulering – ofte på overraskende måder, som først dokumenteret i bogen ”Nudge”. Folk er mere tilbøjelige til at betale deres restskat, hvis de får oplyst, at 90 pct. af de andre skyldnere på deres vej allerede har betalt, end hvis de får oplyst, at 90 pct. af de andre skyldnere i hele landet har betalt. Folk er mere tilbøjelige til at overgå til en digital løsning, hvis de får oplyst, at deres sag vil blive behandlet hurtigere via de digitale kanaler, end hvis den skal behandles manuelt, og de er mere tilbøjelige til at inkludere de korrekte oplysninger for at undgå manuel sagsbehandling. Og hvis vi vil have flere mennesker til at tage imod et tilskud til efterisolering af deres tagetager, vil det være en god ide at oplyse dem om, hvor de kan få hjælp til at rydde deres loft først.

Da adfærdsfolkene indtog Washington og London for 15 år siden, skete der overraskende ting, som vi også kan lære af i Danmark. I USA skal en føderal myndighed, der udsender et spørgeskema, på side 1 af skemaet oplyse, hvor lang tid de regner med, at det tager at udfylde skemaet. Det har – ikke overraskende – ført til kortere spørgeskemaer. I det hele taget er der grund til at se på verden med andre øjne – det handler Artikel #13: ”Kulturforandring i regeljunglen 4 - Om at se verden med andre øjne” om.

Article 12: Cultural change in the rule swamp 3 - Perceived burdens and behavioral design

In Article #5: "What does a rule actually cost?" , we reviewed how to calculate the costs of a rule. In this article, we take a closer look at why classic cost models fall short when it comes to burdens – even though they are getting better and better.

For many years, companies have complained about the heavy burdens associated with statistical reporting, even though SCM measurements showed that the burdens were not particularly heavy. This was not only the case in Denmark, but across Europe. The "number crunchers" could not understand this.

However, closer examination showed that companies are made up of people, and people are behaviorally driven in all sorts of ways. Interviews showed that business owners, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, were really tired of statistical reporting and that they couldn't care less whether it took a long time or a short time to do it – because their experience was that it took a long time and was extremely annoying. That is why the focus today is on perceived burdens (also known as irritation burdens), and years ago, Danish authorities had a burden hunter corps of sociologists and anthropologists who went out to companies and observed how they worked with a specific rule or report in practice, and it became clear that factors such as understanding and relevance play a greater role than time alone.

"Why should I, as a master hairdresser, be required to report my R&D investments? I don't know what that means – and even when you explain it to me, I don't do research and development in my salon. I cut, curl, and color hair."

Knowledge about people's behavior can be used to create more effective regulations, often in surprising ways, as first documented in the book "Nudge." People are more likely to pay their outstanding taxes if they are told that 90% of other debtors on their street have already paid than if they are told that 90% of other debtors nationwide have paid. People are more likely to switch to a digital solution if they are told that their case will be processed faster via digital channels than if it must be processed manually, and they are more likely to include the correct information to avoid manual processing. And if we want more people to take advantage of a subsidy for retrofitting insulation in their attics, it would be a good idea to tell them where they can get help clearing out their attics first.

When behavioural scientists took Washington and London by storm 15 years ago, surprising things happened that we can also learn from in Denmark. In the US, a federal authority that sends out a questionnaire must state on page 1 of the questionnaire how long they expect it to take to complete. Unsurprisingly, this has led to shorter questionnaires. All in all, there is good reason to look at the world through different eyes—that's what Article #13 is all about: "Cultural change in the rule swamp 4 - Seeing the world through different eyes".