Session 2 - Collective Action Problems in Healthcare and Environmental policy areas

1. Collective Action
Problems
in Healthcare and
Environmental Policy
Areas
Pete Lunn, ESRI
Environment Health and Wellbeing
Conference, EPA/HSE/ESRI
www.esri.ie/bru

2. “Collective action problem”
“Common pool resource problem”
“Prisoners’ Dilemma”
“Social Dilemma”
“Public good game”
“Coordination problem”

3. What are we talking about here?
Situations where individuals need to
override self-interest and coordinate to
achieve a superior collective outcome
WIKIPEDIA: A collective action problem or social
dilemma is a situation in which all individuals
would be better off cooperating but fail to do so
because of conflicting interests between
individuals that discourage joint action.

4. The famous marshmallow test…
…wait ten minutes and you get two!
Koomen et al. (2020): Two children, aged 5-6,
separated, both must delay to get a second cookie
→ More likely than when it is just one child
Even small children know Wikipedia is wrong

5. Claim 1: The public response
to COVID-19 has been
REMARKABLY co-operative
Claim 2: If we could come close to
this level of co-operation on issues
like AMR or climate change it would
make a huge difference

6. Why such good co-operation?
Good fit to known factors:
• Communication of “best strategy for all”: aim clear,
cause and effect (relatively) simple
• Group identity: humans vs. virus
• (Mostly social) enforcement: visible behaviour
But also:
• CRISIS! Focuses attention…
• Relevant outcome is close to immediate
• NB. Less is known about the role of the coordinator

7. Aim, cause and effect
Big science communication problem
Lessons from COVID (and elsewhere)
• Curse of knowledge
• Measure public perception and
understanding
• Power of simplicity
• Power of narrative

8. Can it be done for AMR?
“Best strategy for all”:
• Continued absence of problem is a weak goal
• Goal articulation? Metric equivalent of < 2°C etc.
• Cause and effect? Can we mobilise narrative?
Group identity?
• Humans vs. bugs
Enforcement?
• Professional oversight associated with prescription

9. Conclusions
Human beings can make
sacrifices to co-operate in the
face of threat
Opportunity to learn about
how and why
Role for behavioural science in
science communication and
promoting collective solutions
www.esri.ie/bru