Dr Sarah Ball
Lecturer
School of Political Science and International Studies
Researcher biography
My research explores how knowledge and evidence are translated into policy design and implementation. Previously I have explored the use of behavioural insights, experimental methods, codesign and am now interrogating digital transformation in the development of policy. I am currently completing an ARC Linkage Project titled 'The new digital governance of welfare-to-work' and an ESRC project exploring 'Ethics and expertise in times of crisis: Learning from international varieties of ethics advice'. In August 2025 I will be undertaking a DECRA project titled 'Behind the Screens: Interrogating Digital Service Design and Delivery'. Prior to undertaking my Phd I worked in the Australian Public Service, where I developed a deep interest in public administration, knowledge sharing and evidence-based policy.
Books
Althaus, Catherine, Ball, Sarah, Bridgman, Peter, Davis, Glyn and Threlfall, David (2022). The Australian policy handbook: a practical guide to the policymaking process. 7th ed. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003351993
Ball, Sarah (2022). Behavioural public policy in Australia: how an idea became practice. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003290742
Book Chapter
Ball, Sarah and Head, Brian W. (2024). Behavioural insights teams in practice: nudge missions and methods on trial. Beyond nudge: advancing the state-of-the-art of behavioural public policy and administration. (pp. 108-126) edited by Benjamin Ewert, Eva Thomann and Kathrin Loer. Bristol, United Kingdom: Policy Press. doi: 10.1332/030557320X15840777045205
Journal Articles
Ball, Sarah (2024). Who decides what works? Ethical considerations arising from the Australian Government's use of behavioural insights and Robodebt. Australian Journal of Public Administration. doi: 10.1111/1467-8500.12676
Ball, Sarah (2024). Collaboration and public policy: agency in the pursuit of public purpose. Critical Policy Studies, 18 (4), 728-731. doi: 10.1080/19460171.2024.2311198
Ball, Sarah and Rejón, René (2024). Unlocking policy success: is codesign the key to achieving effective policy outcomes?. Policy Design and Practice, 7 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/25741292.2024.2368911
Ball, Sarah, McGann, Michael, Nguyen, Phuc and Considine, Mark (2023). Emerging modes of digitalisation in the delivery of welfare‐to‐work: implications for street‐level discretion. Social Policy and Administration, 57 (7), 1166-1180. doi: 10.1111/spol.12939
Ball, Sarah (2023). Employer engagement: Making active labour market policies work Edited by JoIngold and PatrickMcGurk. Bristol University Press, Mar 1, 2024, 270 pp., ISBN: 978–1529223002, Price GBP 28.99, p/b. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 61 (4), 990-992. doi: 10.1111/bjir.12772
Pykett, Jessica, Ball, Sarah, Dingwall, Robert, Lepenies, Robert, Sommer, Theresa, Strassheim, Holger and Wenzel, Lars (2023). Ethical moments and institutional expertise in UK Government COVID-19 pandemic policy responses: where, when and how is ethical advice sought?. Evidence and Policy, 19 (2), 236-255. doi: 10.1332/174426421X16596928051179
Ball, Sarah, McConnell, Allan and Stark, Alastair (2022). Dramaturgy and crisis management: a third act. Public Administration, 100 (3) padm.12775, 585-599. doi: 10.1111/padm.12775
Considine, Mark, McGann, Michael, Ball, Sarah and Nguyen, Phuc (2022). Can robots understand welfare? Exploring machine bureaucracies in welfare-to-work. Journal of Social Policy, 51 (3), 519-534. doi: 10.1017/s0047279422000174
Reddel, Tim and Ball, Sarah (2021). Knowledge coproduction: panacea or placebo? Lessons from an emerging policy partnership. Policy Design and Practice, 5 (2), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/25741292.2021.1992106
Ball, Sarah (2021). Translating behavioral public policy into practice: Interpretations and traditions. Critical Policy Studies, 16 (3), 315-332. doi: 10.1080/19460171.2021.1973525
Ball, Sarah and Feitsma, Joram (2019). The boundaries of behavioural insights: observations from two ethnographic studies. Evidence and Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, 16 (4) https://doi.org/10.1332/174426419X15643724702722, 559-577. doi: 10.1332/174426419X15643724702722
Ball, Sarah (2019). How far to nudge?: assessing behavioural public policy. Local Government Studies, 45 (2), 283-286. doi: 10.1080/03003930.2019.1570048
Sarah Ball, Michael Hiscox and Tara Oliver (2017). Starting a behavioural insights team: three lessons from the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government. Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, 1 (Special Issue), 21-26.
Thesis
Ball, Sarah (2020). Behaviour change, rigorous evidence and public policy: an ethnography of the use of ‘behavioural insights’ in policy development by the Australian Federal Government. PhD Thesis, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2020.886
Research Reports
Baxter, Janeen, Povey, Jenny, Burger, Sarah-Ann, Plage, Stefanie, Kennedy, Elizabeth, O'Flaherty, Martin, Tseng, Yi-Ping, Polidano, Cain, Kalb, Guyonne, Borland, Jeff, Ribar, David, Mamun, Abdullah, Ball, Sarah, Gramotnev, Alexandra, Bellotti, Melindy, Simpson Reeves, Laura, Tomaszewski, Wojtek and Western, Mark (2020). Try, test and learn evaluation - interim report. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Parsell, Cameron, Robinson, Richard, ten Have, Charlotte and Ball, Sarah (2019). A convergence study of emergency relief providers and recipients. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.
Parsell, Cameron, Walter, Zoe, ten Have, Charlotte, Ball, Sarah and Lam, Jack (2018). What happens at Pindari matters: a longitudinal study. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Ambrey, Christopher, Parsell, Cameron, Robinson, Richard and Ball, Sarah (2018). Service delivery models and repeat requests for emergency relief. ISSR021235 Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.