Abstract
Nudging is a form of soft paternalism whereby governments manipulate the choice architectures of citizens to steer them toward desired outcomes (including eating better, voting more often, being less aggressive and violent, being more compassionate, living healthier, and leading more fulfilling lives). From the perspective of social activists (including moral entrepreneurs of various stripes), public health officials, social marketers, and government actors, the more subtle forms of nudging help mitigate populist backlash against nanny states which are viewed as overly aggressive and instrusive in mandating by force of law that citizens do what’s best for them or face repurcussions. In his latest book, Cass Sunstein examines both the pros and cons of the use of behavioral economics by governments to nudge sometimes reluctant publics to pursue goals and establish lifestyles which experts believe will maximize life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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Notes
With globalization, risks have also gone global and are no longer contained within national borders. Examples of world risks include AIDS, climate change, terrorism, Ebola, deforestation, international crime, animal extinction, volcanic activity, bird flu, overpopulation, poverty, refugee immigration, and international financial markets just to name a few. Even so, in the face of this alarmism some authors have argued that this represents merely newer forms of an ancient system of thought, namely, millenarianism. For the latter, see, e.g., Bailey (2015) and Ridley (2010).
This information is from the National Safety Council website, located at http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/injury-facts-chart.aspx?var=homepage9 .
Examples abound. In New York City Mayor DeBlasio has proposed new legislation which would require chain restaurants to label menu items containing more than a teaspoon of salt. This comes on the heels of an unsuccessful effort by former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg to limit the size of soft drinks served in restaurants (Chriss 2015). And in San Francisco recently, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to approve health warnings on advertising for soda and other sugary drinks. For more on these two cases, see http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/10/new-york-city-salt-sodium .
Sunstein would also interpret any free rider problem as a behavioral market failure, thus opening the door to government intervention whether in the form of bans, mandates, and laws (hard paternalism) or nudges (soft paternalism).
The distinction between System 1 and System 2 thinking is very close to that of Argyris and Schon (1974), who make a similar invidious distinction between naturally occurring but flawed Model I thinking, consisting of person’s tacit, unreflective theories-in-use, and an improved Model II, consisting of espoused theories which emerge after careful reflective practices geared toward the development of more accurate information regarding ego’s and alter’s intentions in interaction within particular organizational settings (Chriss 1995). This improved Model II behavior can be taught by organizational consultants to improve organizational morale and productivity. This parallel between Sunstein’s model and that of Argyris and Schon has also been noticed by McDonnell and McNiff (2014).
Sunstein provides an example of the benefits of System 2 in the case of deciding to vote for a political candidate. System 1 thinking may direct the persons to vote for a candidate based upon a gut reaction, such as “I trust this guy.” In System 2, the person would be more apt to spend time examining the positions held by various candidates on important matters of public policy, and would choose the candidate whose positions comport with independent analyses of likely outcomes if such policies were implemented. In sum, if System 2 thinking were prevalent we would have a more informed citizenry which would make better choices concerning their elected officials.
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Chriss, J.J. Influence, Nudging, and Beyond. Soc 53, 89–96 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-015-9975-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-015-9975-2