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The World Bank on Mind, Behaviour and Society
Author(s) -
Klein Elise
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
development and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-7660
pISSN - 0012-155X
DOI - 10.1111/dech.12308
Subject(s) - governmentality , subjectivity , agency (philosophy) , perspective (graphical) , sociology , proposition , positive economics , epistemology , environmental ethics , social science , political science , economics , politics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
This article critically analyses the use of psychological and behavioural knowledge in development policy and practice with reference to the World Development Report 2015 . It examines the main proposition of the WDR 2015, highlighting the behavioural change framework and policy techniques promoted in the report. The shifts that have taken place in development policy are reviewed from a governmentality perspective which offers a critical view on the psychological and behavioural focus in contemporary development policy. The article focuses specifically on the behavioural techniques the WDR 2015 promotes to show how a certain kind of subjectivity is advanced which not only homogenizes and problematizes non‐Western knowledge systems, subjectivities and agency, but also justifies the economization of social life through development.