David Halpern

Dr David Halpern is currently director of the Behavioural Insights Team, a mutual joint venture with the government and Nesta, where he has been leading efforts to use behavioural insights to improve public service delivery across government.

Previously David was chief analyst in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit (2001–07). He led numerous reviews, including the UK government’s strategic audits and recent policy reviews; set up the Social Exclusion Task Force and drafted its action plan; and authored many of the Strategy Unit’s most influential papers, such as those on life satisfaction, personal responsibility and behaviour change.

Before entering government, he held tenure at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge University. He has also held posts at Nuffield College, Oxford; the Policy Studies Institute, London; as a visiting professor at the Centre for European Studies, Harvard; and was the first research director of the Institute for Government.

He has published widely including the books Hidden Wealth of Nations (2009); Social Capital (2005); Options for Britain: a strategic policy review (1996); Options for a New Britain (2009) and Mental Health and the Built Environment (1995).