Negotiating Neuroliberalism: Changing Behaviours, Values and Beliefs.

近年来，在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而深远的转变。行为改变概念日益重要，证明了对主体性理解的重新校准；一个不充分的，不合理的，根本上有缺陷的人类主体的愿景变得更加重要。此外，在许多州的政策话语中，这种人类能力减弱的概念得到了越来越多的支持。尽管人们对神经自由主义议程日益增长的重要性进行了一些研究，但它存在三个主要差距，这是我们研究问题的基础。我们的问题是：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了信息，这一议程在多大程度上被翻译和“延伸”成新的配置？我们将构建神经自由主义作为一种全球政策理论的谱系。第一阶段将包括文献/基于网络的调查，以建立神经自由主义倡议的地理分布的基线账户。在此调查的基础上，将选择六个州进行进一步的定性研究，以确定：“心理科学”的思想在多大程度上以及通过何种机制为最近的政策举措提供信息；以及这些国家的政策制定者对行为改变理念的适应程度。虽然现阶段我们无法确定我们将研究哪些国家，但我们设想，这些国家极有可能包括：美国（据称是行为改变干预的发源地）；英国（考虑到最近行为改变倡议的盛行，这个国家是有道理的）；有可能的两个欧洲国家包括丹麦（一个拥有庞大福利国家和强大的国家干预传统的国家）和法国（一个位于英美政治之外的国家，有时与英美政治对立）；印度（一个来自全球南部的国家）；以及新西兰（一个尝试过行为改变倡议，但后来又退出的国家）。将对政府行为者进行总共35次半结构化访谈。此外，我们还将对每个州的主要学者进行15次访谈，这些学者的观点是这些神经自由主义政策实验的基础。2)行为改变倡议的有效性如何？最好使用什么方法来监测和了解其有效性？我们将分析行为改变倡议的有效性，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倡议对个人和群体的实际影响。研究方案的这一部分将包括两种主要方法；对工作链1中进行的访谈进行定性分析，并对六个州中每个州产生的文件进行综合审查，这些文件试图评估行为政策的有效性。3)在多大程度上有可能发展出改变行为的有效和授权的替代方法；以超越行为改变议程所展示的主观性减弱的方式？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对其他方法的有效性进行研究，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倡议，包括但不限于正念训练、连接对话和行为扫盲课程。

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.