Nudge politics: efficacy and ethics

摘要

Nudge politics capitalize on psychological insights on human behavior to inform central policies. The scope for such policies to bring about large improvements in individual behavior for relatively little cost has captured the imagination of governments worldwide. “Nudging” involves using choice architecture—the ways decisions are framed or presented—to modify choosers' behavior (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008). The common assumption that people always make optimal decisions for themselves when provided with accurate information has been proven false in several contexts. Instead, people's decisions are often influenced by the context in which they are made. For example, people often overvalue immediate relative to long-term prospects, get stuck in harmful habits and are disproportionately inclined to copy the behavior of others in their social group, even to their detriment (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008). Nudges can be used to help people to overcome these tendencies. For example, they might help people save toward their pension, to choose healthier food options or to reduce their energy consumption, amongst other things (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008). Nudges are ostensibly paternalistic in that they help people to make decisions that are in their best interest (Thaler and Sunstein, 2003, 2008). At the same time, nudges are also libertarian, in that they preserve freedom of choice (Thaler and Sunstein, 2003, 2008). Here, I discuss the contexts in which nudges are likely to be most useful and also highlight some potential pitfalls with this policy-making approach. I also discuss the ethics of nudge politics, particularly when policies are designed to maximize collective, rather than individual, benefits and do not therefore fit the concept of paternalism.