Behavioral Insights and Public Service Delivery in Nigeria: Rethinking Administrative Decision-Making Through a Behavioral Governance Lens

Abstract

Public service delivery in Nigeria has long been characterized by inefficiency, bureaucratic bottlenecks, corruption, and limited responsiveness to citizens' needs. Conventional administrative models, largely founded on assumptions of rational decision-making, have often failed to account for the behavioral realities influencing both public officials and service users. Behavioral insights, derived from psychology, behavioral economics, and cognitive science, provide an alternative framework for understanding how individuals actually think, decide, and act within governance systems. This study examines the role of behavioral insights in enhancing public service delivery in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on administrative decision-making processes. Adopting a qualitative content analysis approach based on secondary sources, the study reviews existing literature, policy documents, government reports, and international publications relating to behavioral governance and public administration. The findings indicate that cognitive biases, heuristics, institutional norms, and social influences significantly shape administrative behavior and policy outcomes. The study further reveals that integrating behavioral insights into governance can improve policy effectiveness, citizen engagement, service utilization, and administrative efficiency. The paper concludes that rethinking administrative decision-making through a behavioral governance lens is critical for achieving responsive, citizen-centered, and effective public service delivery in Nigeria. The study recommends institutionalizing behavioral insights units, strengthening administrative capacity, simplifying bureaucratic procedures, and integrating behavioral approaches into public sector reforms.