Today, on 2nd Sep 2025, Professor Stefan Dercon from the University of Oxford delivered a virtual lecture to the National Management Course participants, focusing on the practical challenges of providing effective policy advice in the real world. He addressed the complexities of evidence-based decision-making in an environment of limited data, political constraints, and human biases, moving beyond theoretical models to offer a pragmatic framework for advisors.
Professor Dercon emphasized that good advice requires a rigorous and impartial analysis of all available evidence, coupled with a deep understanding of the political context and the decision-maker’s mental model. He introduced key insights from behavioral economics, such as availability bias and framing effects, to explain how the timing and presentation of advice are critical to its acceptance and impact. The session concluded with an insightful Q&A, where participants explored how to apply these principles to improve policy formulation and implementation in the public sector.
