Misconceptions about nudges

Cass R. Sunstein ()
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Cass R. Sunstein: Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University

Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, 2018, vol. 2, issue 1, 61-67

Abstract: Some people believe that nudges are an insult to human agency; that nudges are based on excessive trust in government; that nudges are covert; that nudges are manipulative; that nudges exploit behavioral biases; that nudges depend on a belief that human beings are irrational; and that nudges work only at the margins and cannot accomplish much. These are misconceptions. Nudges always respect, and often promote, human agency; because nudges insist on preserving freedom of choice, they do not put excessive trust in government; nudges are generally transparent rather than covert or forms of manipulation; many nudges are educative, and even when they are not, they tend to make life simpler and more navigable; and some nudges have quite large impacts.

Keywords: nudges; behavioral economic; default rules; manipulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B41 D01 D9 H11 H2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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