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DUBAI / WAM
As part of the Happiness Agenda that was launched in May 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Smart Dubai Office and Dubai Police on Monday announced a collaboration aimed towards enhancing public participation and the levels of happiness in Dubai.
The project, ‘Happy to Pay’, intends to reduce people’s reluctance to pay their fines on time and, more importantly, to feel better about paying.
The project is a practical application of behavioural economics in policy-making, also called ‘nudges’, which are becoming the standard in advanced government units such as the Behavioural Insights Unit in the UK government, and SBST in the US government. Together with leading scientists from the University of Oxford and Harvard Business School, the Dubai team have developed a new version of the Dubai Police app, which allows users to pay their traffic fines, but with subtle differences that will be tested for their effectiveness in raising both compliance and happiness.
The trial will be conducted as a Randomised-Controlled Trial, RCT, which is the gold standard of international academic research. These are the same strict methods used in assessing clinical trials, because of the need to ensure evidence-based decisions.
Dr Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director-General of the Smart Dubai Office, said, “Launching the ‘Happy to Pay’ service and application is an unprecedented milestone in the region and a rare and significant achievement on a global level. The technology helps transform the task of collecting fines into a community effort, and promotes the development of various sectors.”
“While many countries around the world still view happiness as an abstract issue,” Dr. Aisha continued, adding, “we, in the UAE, have succeeded in transforming it into a real-life experience for the citizens, residents and visitors of the city.”
The trial will be conducted as a Randomised-Controlled Trial, RCT, which is the gold standard of international academic research. These are the same strict methods used in assessing clinical trials, because of the need to ensure evidence-based decisions.