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Should Governments Invest More in Nudging?

Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Governments are increasingly adopting behavioral science techniques for changing individual behavior in pursuit of policy objectives. The types of "nudge" interventions that governments are now adopting alter people's decisions without coercion or significant changes to economic incentives. We calculated ratios of impact to cost for nudge interventions and for traditional policy tools, such as tax incentives and other financial inducements, and we found that nudge interventions often compare favorably with traditional interventions. We conclude that nudging is a valuable approach that should be used more often in conjunction with traditional policies, but more calculations are needed to determine the relative effectiveness of nudging.
DOI: 10.1177/0956797617702501
Authors: Shlomo Benartzi, John Beshears, Katherine L. Milkman, Cass R. Sunstein, Richard H. Thaler, Maya Shankar, Will Tucker-Ray, William J. Congdon, Steven Galing
Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Ideas42, United States Department of Defense
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Food and Nutrition Service
OpenAlex ID: W2624183453
FWCI: 64.88
Cites: 61
Cited by: 866
Related to: 10