Negotiating Neuroliberalism: Changing Behaviours, Values and Beliefs.

近年来，学术研究和政策议程中人类主体的概念化方式发生了微妙但影响深远的转变。行为改变概念的日益重要证明了对主观性理解的重新校准；一个不充分的、非理性的、有根本缺陷的人类主体具有更重要的意义。此外，这种人类能力减弱的概念在许多国家的政策讨论中得到了越来越多的认可。尽管已经对神经自由主义议程的日益重要的意义进行了一些研究，但它存在三个主要差距，这是我们研究问题的基础。我们要问：1）神经学议程在多大程度上为世界各地的公共政策举措提供信息，以及该议程在多大程度上被转化和“延伸”成新颖的配置？我们将构建一个关于神经自由主义作为全球政策理由的出现的谱系描述。第一阶段将涉及文献/网络调查，以便建立神经自由主义倡议地理分布的基线说明。在这项调查的基础上，将选择六个州进行进一步的定性研究，以确定：“心理科学”的想法在多大程度上影响了近期的政策举措，以及通过何种机制；以及这些国家的政策制定者对行为改变理念的适应程度。虽然我们现阶段无法确定地指出我们将研究的国家，但我们预计它们很可能包括： 美国（据称是行为改变干预措施的发源地）；英国（考虑到最近流行的行为改变举措，这是一个有意义的国家）；两个有可能的欧洲国家包括丹麦（一个拥有庞大福利国家和强大国家干预传统的国家）和法国（一个处于英美政治之外、有时与英美政治相对立的国家）；印度（南半球国家）；和新西兰（该州曾尝试过行为改变举措，但随后又退出）。将与政府行为者进行总共 35 次半结构化访谈。还将对每个研究州的主要学者进行另外 15 次访谈，他们的想法支撑了这些神经自由主义政策实验。2）行为改变举措的有效性如何，以及最适合监测和理解其有效性的方法是什么？我们将分析行为改变举措的有效性，并分析不同评估方法的有效性 - 包括随机对照试验、在线调查、访谈和焦点小组 - 以阐明现有行为改变举措对个人和群体的实际影响。研究计划的这一要素将包括两种主要方法；对工作组 1 中进行的访谈进行定性分析，并对六个州中每个州编写的文件进行综合审查，力求评估行为政策的有效性。 3）在多大程度上有可能开发出替代性的、有效的、赋权的方式来改变行为；以超越行为改变议程所表现出的主观性减弱的视野的方式？我们将评估改变行为和价值观的替代机制的有效性。与行为改变策略相关的伦理问题需要研究其他方法的有效性，这些方法涉及支撑行为的价值观和信念。涉及 40 名参与者的行动研究将调查一系列旨在改变行为和价值观的替代举措，包括但不限于正念训练、互联对话和行为素养课程。

There has been a subtle, yet far-reaching, transformation in the way in which the human subject has been conceptualised within academic research and policy agendas in recent years. The growing significance of notions of behaviour change testify to a re-calibration of understandings of subjectivity; with a vision of an inadequate, irrational and fundamentally flawed human subject assuming greater significance. This conception of the attenuated capacities of humans has, moreover, gained increasing purchase within policy discourses in a number of states. While some research has been undertaken on the growing significance of a neuroliberal agenda, it possesses three major gaps, which act as the basis of our research questions. We ask:1) To what extent is a neurological agenda informing public policy initiatives across the world and to what degree is this agenda being translated and 'stretched' into novel configurations?We will construct a genealogical account of the emergence of neuroliberalism as a global policy rationale. The first stage will involve a documentary/web-based survey in order to establish a baseline account of the geographic distribution of neuroliberal initiatives. On the basis of this survey, six states will be chosen for further qualitative research in order to establish: the extent to which, and the mechanisms through which, ideas from the 'psy sciences' have informed recent policy initiatives; and the degree to which ideas of behaviour change have been adapted by policy-makers within those states. While we cannot, at this stage, indicate with certainty the states that we will study, we envisage that they will in all likelihood include: the US (as the alleged birthplace of behaviour change interventions); the UK (a state that makes sense given the recent prevalence of behaviour change initiatives); two European states with possibilities here including Denmark (a country with a large welfare state and a strong tradition of state intervention) and France (a country lying outside and sometimes in opposition to Anglo-American politics); India (a state from the global south); and New Zealand (a state that has experimented with and subsequently drawn back from behaviour change initiatives). A total of 35 semi-structured interviews will be conducted with governmental actors. A further 15 interviews will be conducted with key academics in each of the states researched, whose ideas have underpinned these neuroliberal policy experiments.2) How effective are behaviour change initiatives and what methods are best used to monitor and understand their effectiveness?We will analyse the effectiveness of behaviour change initiatives and analyse the effectiveness of different evaluative methods - including randomised control trials, online surveys, interviews and focus groups - for elucidating the actual impact that existing behaviour change initiatives have on individuals and groups. This element of the research programme will comprise two main methods; qualitative analysis of the interviews conducted in work strand 1 and a synthetic review of documents produced within each of the six states, which have sought to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural policies. 3) To what extent is it possible to develop alternative effective and empowering ways of changing behaviours; in ways that move beyond the attenuated vision of subjectivity exhibited by the behaviour change agenda?We will evaluate the effectiveness of alternative mechanisms for changing behaviours and values. The ethical problems associated with behaviour change strategies necessitate research into the efficacy of other approaches, which engage with the values and beliefs that underpin behaviour. Action research involving 40 participants will investigate a range of alternative initiatives designed to change behaviour and values, including, but not limited to, mindfulness training, connected conversations and behavioural literacy sessions.