BeGOV—Behavioral Science for Governance exists to close the gap between behavioral science research and the real-world strategies used by civil society and other actors to build effective engagement with citizens.

With ongoing initiatives in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Lesotho, our work aims to build resilient communities by building meaningful connections between policymakers and the communities impacted by the decisions of different actors in society. We have partnered with government institutions, multilateral institutions, funders, technical experts and academia, civil society and more importantly community groups to iterate behavioral interventions that build effective feedback loop systems for better governance outcomes. 

Our primary focus over the last few years has been supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) through research and capacity strengthening to build better engagement with the communities they serve. This includes strengthening the resilience of community organizations and other social institutions to respond to emerging challenges such as limited funding, weak relationship with governments and growing apathy from citizens which impacts governance outcomes. 

By helping our partners integrate behavioral science into their approaches, we are building an ecosystem where different actors can collaborate and leverage innovation, experimentation and evidence to build communities where meaningful dialogue between different actors thrives to strengthen governance. To better serve our partners, BeGov work is done in two portfolios: Governance & Accountability and Social Stability Portfolios.

Governance and Accountability: We aim to bridge the gap between applied behavioral science research and the strategies used by civil society practitioners to enhance citizen engagement. Our work focuses on generating actionable insights that inform more effective and impactful civic engagement strategies. Our current research agenda focuses on the behavioral systems that shape civic engagement in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania). We examine how online and offline information ecosystems influence engagement, the roles of key actors throughout the civic engagement cycle, and the impact of social norms on collective action and community decision-making. By integrating behavioral science with a nuanced understanding of social and political dynamics, we seek to uncover both the opportunities and challenges that influence meaningful citizen participation.

Social Stability: Social stability leads Busara’s engagements with social institutions including civil society organizations and community groups. Our long-term goal is to combine innovation, experimentation and capacity strengthening to build strong institutions that can act as custodians of good governance within their communities. Our experience shows that community groups are usually the first touch points for citizens when they are faced with disasters and challenges such as insecurity, poverty and economic challenges, violence among other challenges. Civil society organizations, and other community groups act as bridges between citizens and their leaders, helping to highlight some of the issues citizens face, and giving crucial policy feedback to government actors and other stakeholders whose policies have a direct impact on the lives of communities.