MBRSG Launches Dubai Behavioural Insights Lab

(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Leveraging field experimentation and data analysis to enhance institutional capacity and foster innovative practices

Underlining its commitment to applying modern science to the development of innovative policies, the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) has announced the launch of the Dubai Behavioural Insights Lab. The Lab is a groundbreaking applied research platform that applies behavioural science to strengthen public policymaking and improve government services.

The launch of the Lab is part of MBRSG's broader efforts to strengthen the governance ecosystem in Dubai, the UAE, and the wider region by integrating scientific evidence with practical experience and fostering institutional capacity. This reinforces MBRSG's position as a strategic knowledge partner for government entities and aligns with the UAE's vision of a smart, human-centred government of the future.

The Lab aims to empower decision-makers and government institutions to design more impactful and innovative policies and interventions, grounded in a comprehensive understanding of human behaviour and the use of advanced behavioural tools. This contributes to enhancing quality of life, raising government performance efficiency and supporting the UAE's vision of anticipating the future and developing sustainable, evidence-based solutions to societal challenges.

The Lab's work is underpinned by an integrated framework that combines the rigour of MBRSG's academic research with the adaptability of practical experience in behavioural analysis within real-world contexts, while drawing on Dubai's leadership in innovation and human-centred design.

The Lab is founded on an ambitious vision to serve as a regional and global reference in harnessing human behaviour to inform smart public policymaking. Its mission is to generate innovative, evidence-based and empirically tested solutions to governmental and societal challenges, achieved through close collaboration with government entities as well as the integration of academic knowledge with practical application.

The Lab collaborates with a diverse network of local and international partners, including governments, regulatory bodies, public and private institutions, international organisations, civil society and academic institutions. This ensures broad impact and promotes the adoption of behavioural solutions across various fields.

His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of MBRSG, said:“The launch of the Dubai Behavioural Insights Lab reflects the vision of our wise leadership, which places people at the heart of government development. The Lab marks a qualitative shift in decision-making processes, drawing on behavioural evidence and scientific experimentation to enhance the effectiveness of public policies and government services. At MBRSG, we are committed to drawing on our academic and research expertise to build institutional capacities capable of applying behavioural sciences, thereby strengthening the UAE's competitiveness and consolidating its global leadership in government innovation.”

The Lab operates within an integrated framework of strategic objectives. These include advancing the integration of behavioural knowledge in public policy through applied research and field experiments; strengthening institutional capacity by offering training programmes and specialised diplomas that develop the skills of practitioners and enable government agencies to design interventions informed by behavioural insights; and fostering a culture of innovation across the government system by organising events, publishing reports and establishing specialised teams in institutions. Through these objectives, the Lab seeks to achieve sustainable societal impact by promoting field-based behavioural practices that adopt a“test, learn, develop” methodology, which enhances positive engagement and simplifies the complexity of policy design.

The Lab also advances integrated areas of work encompassing scientific research and knowledge development, training and capacity building, event organisation and knowledge dissemination, as well as the design and implementation of field experiments. Its activities include analysing policies and legislation from a behavioural perspective, developing innovative interventions informed by scientific modelling and evaluating existing policies to enhance their effectiveness.

The lab team, which places the country among the global leaders in this field, includes a distinguished group of experts and academics in public administration, policy, and behavioral economics. Among them Dr Abdulaziz Staitieh, Senior Economic Advisor at The General Secretariat Of The Executive Council – Government of Dubai‏; Dr Ahmed Obaid Al Khadim, Director of Fujairah Hospital at the Emirates Health Services; Brigadier Abdul Samad Hussain Suleiman, Deputy Assistant Director-General for Leadership and Future Affairs at GDRFA; Mr Saleh Salim Al Hamouri, Training and Development Specialist at MBRSG; Prof. Yousif El-Ghalayini, Professor of Public Administration and Executive MPA Programme Director at MBRSG; and Prof. Khalid Wasif Al-Wazani Professor of Economics and Public Policy at MBRSG and a member of several boards of directors. Together, they contribute their extensive and diverse expertise to support applied research and develop innovative solutions that enhance the effectiveness of public policies.

Among the Lab's innovative initiatives is the“Nudgeathon” lab, which convenes multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions grounded in behavioural insights within a defined timeframe. The initiative fosters collaborative innovation while enabling the testing of solutions that are both viable and scalable.

The Lab also applies a structured workflow that starts with the identification of behavioural problems and the monitoring of relevant phenomena, followed by diagnosis, research, and analysis. It then proceeds to the design and field implementation of interventions, the collection of data and evaluation of results and, ultimately, the documentation and dissemination of knowledge, ensuring sustainable impact. The first Nudgethon is set to be organised in partnership with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai

The launch of the Dubai Behavioural Insights Lab reflects the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government's vision of translating academic knowledge into innovative policies and practical applications that enhance the efficiency of governance and promote the development of sustainable, evidence-based solutions. By equipping institutions and decision-makers with modern behavioural tools, the Lab reinforces the MBRSG'S role in preparing national leaders capable of driving change and innovation, while reaffirming the UAE's position as a global reference in designing people-centred policies grounded in a deep understanding of human behaviour.

About the Expert Team:

Dr Abdulaziz Staitieh

Senior Economic Advisor at The General Secretariat of The Executive Council – Government of Dubai:

Dr Staitieh currently serves at the Executive Council of the Government of Dubai and brings extensive expertise in economics and finance. He holds a PhD in Economics and Finance and an MBA from the University of Valladolid, Spain, along with a bachelor's degree in economics from An-Najah National University, Palestine. His previous roles include Director of Strategy and Economic Policy Planning at the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED) and Economic Researcher at Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

He holds several professional certifications in management, strategic planning, performance monitoring, policy design, and behavioural insights. He won first place in the Dubai Economic Research Award (Professional Category) in 2008, as well as the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research Award in the same year. He also serves as an assessor for the Dubai Government Excellence Program, the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development Award, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award.

Dr Ahmed Obaid Al Khadim Al-Antali

Director of Fujairah Hospital – Emirates Health Services:

Dr. Ahmed Al-Antali is considered one of the prominent healthcare leaders in the United Arab Emirates. He has significantly contributed to the development of hospital services and the enhancement of care quality through the application of behavioral insights methodologies in policies and services. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from Ain Shams University, as well as a master's degree and specialized diplomas from the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government.

Dr. Al-Antali has made notable academic and research contributions in the field of behavioral insights, most notably his book“Behavioral Insights in Public Policy Design.” He has also led pioneering initiatives that earned the Emirates Health Services the Zero Bureaucracy Award in the“Exceptional Initiative” category. In addition, he supervises master's students academically, affirming his role in embedding behavioral insights in the development of a new generation of researchers and policymakers.

His joining of the expert team at the Dubai Behavioral Economics Lab represents a strategic value addition, bringing his deep expertise in healthcare management into the realm of behavioral research and experimentation. This enables the lab to effectively connect health policies with evidence-based behavioral change mechanisms. In doing so, he contributes to designing innovative solutions that enhance government efficiency, support quality of life, and reinforce the UAE's leadership in utilizing behavioral sciences to shape a more sustainable future.

Brigadier Abdul Samad Hussain Suleiman

Deputy Assistant Director-General for Leadership and Future Affairs at GDRFA

Brigadier Abdul Samad Hussain Suleiman has over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, institutional excellence, innovation, and Total Quality Management. He holds an Executive Master's degree from MBRSG, and is a certified expert in Government Excellence Model under the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program. He played a pivotal role in ‏GDRFA Dubai's achievement of prestigious awards, including the“Elite Award” and the“Hamdan bin Mohammed Flag”.

He has served as a judge for both local and international awards, such as the Fujairah Government Excellence Award and the Egypt Government Excellence Award, in addition to chairing evaluation teams for various Arab awards. He is the Vice Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, and an Excellence Consultant to the“Taqdeer Award”. He also holds professional certifications, including a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Brigadier Suleiman contributed to establishing the Behavioural Insights at GDRFA in Dubai, where he led innovative projects based on behavioral interventions to enhance efficiency.

Mr Saleh Salim Al Hamouri

Training and Development Specialist at MBRSG

Mr Saleh Salim Al Hamouri is a specialist in institutional excellence and the leadership of government entities. He has extensive experience in bridging future-oriented strategies with global best practices and applying them in the Arab context. He received specialized training in Behavioral Insights from the UK's Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and contributed to developing executive educational briefs in this field.

He is the co-author of the first Arabic book dedicated to Behavioural Insights, written with a group of researchers, and he teaches the subject as part of the Public Policy diploma. He has published specialized articles focusing on the practical applications of behavioural sciences in public administration and agile governance.

Dr Yousif El-Ghalayini

Associate Professor in Public Administration at MBRSG

Dr Yousif El-Ghalayini is the Executive MPA Program Director and Research Fellow at the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa. His areas of teaching focus on public administration, governance, human resource management (HRM), performance management, public policy, behavioral sciences applications and organizational development. He has supervised research focusing on the role of Behavioural sciences in advancing evidence-based public policies.

Previously, he served as Program Manager of HRM Program at the Australian College, and also worked as a United Nations specialist in capacity building in post-conflict communities, in addition to designing training programs on strategic thinking and results based management. He also has professional experience at Global Affairs Canada.

Dr. Al-Ghalayini holds a PhD in Public Administration from the University of Ottawa, a Master in Project Management from Université du Québec en Outaouais, Graduate Diploma in Administration from Concordia University, and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Amman Al-Ahliyya University.

Prof. Khalid Wasif Al-Wazani

Professor of Economics and Public Policy at MBRSG:

Since 1999, he has held prominent leadership positions in Jordan, including Director General for the Jordanian Customs Department, Head of the Economic Team and Advisor to His Majesty King Abdullah II, Director General and Deputy Chairman of the Social Security Corporation, and Chairman of the Jordan Investment Commission. He also served as Strategy and Knowledge Advisor for Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF).

He is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers, the First-Class Independence Medal, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the American University in Cairo. Since 2005, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Bank in Syria, in addition to holding board memberships and chairmanships across sectors including banking, aviation, mining, logistics, real estate development, education, and media.

He has worked as an economic expert with international organizations such as UNDP and USAID, and has made significant contributions in the fields of economic and public policy, City Development Strategies, leadership development, behavioural economics, and behavioural insights. He has supervised and examined several master's theses, authored published articles and research papers, and writes a weekly column in Arab newspapers. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Arab Society for Economic Research, and a member of several leading international economic associations.

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