Andrew Dobson
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265536
- eISBN:
- 9780191760327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265536.003.0026
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Governments are failing to govern. They are hollowing out both the safety nets of social support and of ethical norms. The market is guided by financial incentive and short-term profit-making, by ...
More
Governments are failing to govern. They are hollowing out both the safety nets of social support and of ethical norms. The market is guided by financial incentive and short-term profit-making, by nudge and uncontrolled externalities, where sustainability citizenship cannot gain a toehold. There is a gap between responsive and responsible government. There is too little space for genuine civic engagement and for effective localism. This is the tipping point that has to be engineered by communities working for their collective betterment.Less
Governments are failing to govern. They are hollowing out both the safety nets of social support and of ethical norms. The market is guided by financial incentive and short-term profit-making, by nudge and uncontrolled externalities, where sustainability citizenship cannot gain a toehold. There is a gap between responsive and responsible government. There is too little space for genuine civic engagement and for effective localism. This is the tipping point that has to be engineered by communities working for their collective betterment.
Julian Le Grand and Bill New
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164373
- eISBN:
- 9781400866298
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164373.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This chapter examines the so-called nudge ideas based on libertarian paternalism and asymmetric paternalism, both of which seek to provide a practical approach to the trade-off between well-being and ...
More
This chapter examines the so-called nudge ideas based on libertarian paternalism and asymmetric paternalism, both of which seek to provide a practical approach to the trade-off between well-being and autonomy. Nudge policies are government interventions that seek to change the context in which people make choices—the “choice architecture”—so as to nudge them to make decisions in the direction that the government wants. “Libertarian” paternalism is paternalism because the policies involve government intervention in individual decision making with the intention of promoting the individual's own good, but libertarian because the individual maintains a range of choices similar to those that he/she had without the intervention. After considering the relevant definitions, the chapter considers the case for and against libertarian paternalism and concludes by highlighting the principal defense of libertarian paternalist policies: their effectiveness in terms of their impact on well-being and autonomy when compared to alternative paternalistic policies.Less
This chapter examines the so-called nudge ideas based on libertarian paternalism and asymmetric paternalism, both of which seek to provide a practical approach to the trade-off between well-being and autonomy. Nudge policies are government interventions that seek to change the context in which people make choices—the “choice architecture”—so as to nudge them to make decisions in the direction that the government wants. “Libertarian” paternalism is paternalism because the policies involve government intervention in individual decision making with the intention of promoting the individual's own good, but libertarian because the individual maintains a range of choices similar to those that he/she had without the intervention. After considering the relevant definitions, the chapter considers the case for and against libertarian paternalism and concludes by highlighting the principal defense of libertarian paternalist policies: their effectiveness in terms of their impact on well-being and autonomy when compared to alternative paternalistic policies.
Gillian Barker
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231171885
- eISBN:
- 9780231540391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231171885.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Human behavior and development if actively responsive to certain kinds of environmental features, and this suggests that some kinds of substantial social change could be feasible given the right kind ...
More
Human behavior and development if actively responsive to certain kinds of environmental features, and this suggests that some kinds of substantial social change could be feasible given the right kind of triggering change or "nudge." Recent work in social psychology offers results that support this view, and that indicate what some key triggers might be--work on stereotypes and stereotype threat, responses to social inequality, implicit bias, and learning mindsets are especially promising.Less
Human behavior and development if actively responsive to certain kinds of environmental features, and this suggests that some kinds of substantial social change could be feasible given the right kind of triggering change or "nudge." Recent work in social psychology offers results that support this view, and that indicate what some key triggers might be--work on stereotypes and stereotype threat, responses to social inequality, implicit bias, and learning mindsets are especially promising.
Christian Coons and Michael Weber (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199338207
- eISBN:
- 9780190228446
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199338207.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy
As social creatures, we influence one another in a variety of ways. Much of this influence is benign—for example, advising family and friends, serving as role models for our children and students. ...
More
As social creatures, we influence one another in a variety of ways. Much of this influence is benign—for example, advising family and friends, serving as role models for our children and students. Some forms of influence, however, are clearly morally suspect, such as violence, threats of violence, and blackmail. A great deal of attention has been paid to one form of morally suspect influence, namely coercion. Less attention has been paid to what might be a more pervasive form of influence: manipulation. The chapters in this volume address this relative imbalance by focusing on manipulation, examining its nature, moral status, and significance in personal and social life. A number of central questions are addressed: What counts as manipulation? How is it distinguished from coercion and ordinary rational persuasion? Is it always wrong, or can it sometimes be justified—and if so, when? Can one manipulate unintentionally? How does being manipulated to do something bear on one’s moral responsibly for doing it? Given various answers to these questions, what should we think of institutions and practices such as advertising, dating, and seduction? Should policymakers—similar to Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s suggestion in their influential bestseller Nudge—regard broadly manipulative measures as a welcome alternative to coercion?Less
As social creatures, we influence one another in a variety of ways. Much of this influence is benign—for example, advising family and friends, serving as role models for our children and students. Some forms of influence, however, are clearly morally suspect, such as violence, threats of violence, and blackmail. A great deal of attention has been paid to one form of morally suspect influence, namely coercion. Less attention has been paid to what might be a more pervasive form of influence: manipulation. The chapters in this volume address this relative imbalance by focusing on manipulation, examining its nature, moral status, and significance in personal and social life. A number of central questions are addressed: What counts as manipulation? How is it distinguished from coercion and ordinary rational persuasion? Is it always wrong, or can it sometimes be justified—and if so, when? Can one manipulate unintentionally? How does being manipulated to do something bear on one’s moral responsibly for doing it? Given various answers to these questions, what should we think of institutions and practices such as advertising, dating, and seduction? Should policymakers—similar to Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s suggestion in their influential bestseller Nudge—regard broadly manipulative measures as a welcome alternative to coercion?
Jessica Pykett
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447337904
- eISBN:
- 9781447337959
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447337904.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Amidst the growing enthusiasm for the application of behavioural insights from behavioural economics, psychology and the neurosciences in social policy, there has been a shift in emphasis from ...
More
Amidst the growing enthusiasm for the application of behavioural insights from behavioural economics, psychology and the neurosciences in social policy, there has been a shift in emphasis from structural, through individuated and towards neuromolecular scales of explanation for social problems. This chapter explores the role of these trends in carving out new spatialities of social policy. The chapter considers the scale at which government intervention is deemed necessary, effective and efficient; and who should be responsible for health, productivity and wellbeing in liberal societies. It traces continuities between behavioural and neuroscientifically-informed public policy through analysis of international and supra-national policy documentation within societies in which neoliberalism is increasingly recognised as a source of social harm and economic instability. The chapter develops an approach to ‘critical neuro- geography’ which sheds new light on the strategic importance of scalar claims and other spatialities to forms of governance targeted at the mind, body and soul.Less
Amidst the growing enthusiasm for the application of behavioural insights from behavioural economics, psychology and the neurosciences in social policy, there has been a shift in emphasis from structural, through individuated and towards neuromolecular scales of explanation for social problems. This chapter explores the role of these trends in carving out new spatialities of social policy. The chapter considers the scale at which government intervention is deemed necessary, effective and efficient; and who should be responsible for health, productivity and wellbeing in liberal societies. It traces continuities between behavioural and neuroscientifically-informed public policy through analysis of international and supra-national policy documentation within societies in which neoliberalism is increasingly recognised as a source of social harm and economic instability. The chapter develops an approach to ‘critical neuro- geography’ which sheds new light on the strategic importance of scalar claims and other spatialities to forms of governance targeted at the mind, body and soul.
Stewart Barr and John Preston
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447329558
- eISBN:
- 9781447329602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447329558.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Population and Demography
As travel planning’s theoretical underpinnings have broadened from engineering and economics to embrace psychology and sociology, an emphasis has been placed on social marketing and nudge theory. It ...
More
As travel planning’s theoretical underpinnings have broadened from engineering and economics to embrace psychology and sociology, an emphasis has been placed on social marketing and nudge theory. It is argued that this is consistent with a neo-liberal trend towards governing from a distance. Using two case studies, one a qualitative study of reducing short-haul air travel, the other a quantitative study of attempts to reduce local car travel, it is found that actual behaviour change is limited. This seems to arise because behavioural change has been too narrowly defined and overly identified with personal choice.Less
As travel planning’s theoretical underpinnings have broadened from engineering and economics to embrace psychology and sociology, an emphasis has been placed on social marketing and nudge theory. It is argued that this is consistent with a neo-liberal trend towards governing from a distance. Using two case studies, one a qualitative study of reducing short-haul air travel, the other a quantitative study of attempts to reduce local car travel, it is found that actual behaviour change is limited. This seems to arise because behavioural change has been too narrowly defined and overly identified with personal choice.
Jan Abel Olsen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198794837
- eISBN:
- 9780191836329
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198794837.003.0008
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter examines three health determinants that lie inside of individuals’ own control: diet, physical activity, and substance use. The choices exhibited over these three classes of goods (or ...
More
This chapter examines three health determinants that lie inside of individuals’ own control: diet, physical activity, and substance use. The choices exhibited over these three classes of goods (or bads) have fundamental impacts on the health of the individual. Under each of them, three types of policy interventions are discussed: prices, regulations, and ‘nudges’. Generally, price interventions such as indirect taxation and subsidies are useful when demand is responsive to price changes, that is, on price-elastic goods. Regulations are required when consumers do not respond much to price changes, that is, for price-inelastic goods. The use of ‘nudges’ is based on the insight from behavioural economics that consumers are sensitive to how their choice sets are being presented. Through ‘choice architecture’ policymakers can help individuals make healthy choices rather than being victims of a short-sighted weak will.Less
This chapter examines three health determinants that lie inside of individuals’ own control: diet, physical activity, and substance use. The choices exhibited over these three classes of goods (or bads) have fundamental impacts on the health of the individual. Under each of them, three types of policy interventions are discussed: prices, regulations, and ‘nudges’. Generally, price interventions such as indirect taxation and subsidies are useful when demand is responsive to price changes, that is, on price-elastic goods. Regulations are required when consumers do not respond much to price changes, that is, for price-inelastic goods. The use of ‘nudges’ is based on the insight from behavioural economics that consumers are sensitive to how their choice sets are being presented. Through ‘choice architecture’ policymakers can help individuals make healthy choices rather than being victims of a short-sighted weak will.
Lucia A. Reisch, Cass R. Sunstein, and Micha Kaiser
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198863175
- eISBN:
- 9780191895678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198863175.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter reports the results of nationally representative surveys in fourteen countries, investigating the attitudes of people towards nudges and nudging, with a particular focus on environmental ...
More
This chapter reports the results of nationally representative surveys in fourteen countries, investigating the attitudes of people towards nudges and nudging, with a particular focus on environmental and health nudges. The countries covered are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. There is strong majority support for both health and environmental nudges in all countries, with the exception of Japan, Denmark, and Hungary. China and South Korea stand out with particularly high acceptance rates. Beyond reporting the results of the combined dataset for the first time, the chapter provides an explanation first, of why policy makers might be interested in public approval or disapproval of nudges, and second, how information of public acceptance can inform both uses of and constraints on nudging.Less
This chapter reports the results of nationally representative surveys in fourteen countries, investigating the attitudes of people towards nudges and nudging, with a particular focus on environmental and health nudges. The countries covered are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. There is strong majority support for both health and environmental nudges in all countries, with the exception of Japan, Denmark, and Hungary. China and South Korea stand out with particularly high acceptance rates. Beyond reporting the results of the combined dataset for the first time, the chapter provides an explanation first, of why policy makers might be interested in public approval or disapproval of nudges, and second, how information of public acceptance can inform both uses of and constraints on nudging.
Thomas Douglas
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- November 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198758617
- eISBN:
- 9780191818530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198758617.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Interventions that modify a person’s motivations through chemically or physically influencing the brain seem morally objectionable, at least when they are performed nonconsensually. This chapter ...
More
Interventions that modify a person’s motivations through chemically or physically influencing the brain seem morally objectionable, at least when they are performed nonconsensually. This chapter raises a puzzle for attempts to explain their objectionability. It first seeks to show that the objectionability of such interventions must be explained at least in part by reference to the sort of mental interference that they involve. It then argues that it is difficult to furnish an explanation of this sort. The difficulty is that these interventions seem no more objectionable, in terms of the kind of mental interference that they involve, than certain forms of environmental influence that many would regard as morally innocuous. The argument proceeds by comparing a particular neurointervention with a comparable environmental intervention. The author argues, first, that the two dominant explanations for the objectionability of the neurointervention apply equally to the environmental intervention, and second, that the descriptive difference between the environmental intervention and the neurointervention that most plausibly grounds the putative moral difference in fact fails to do so. The author concludes by presenting a trilemma that falls out of the argument.Less
Interventions that modify a person’s motivations through chemically or physically influencing the brain seem morally objectionable, at least when they are performed nonconsensually. This chapter raises a puzzle for attempts to explain their objectionability. It first seeks to show that the objectionability of such interventions must be explained at least in part by reference to the sort of mental interference that they involve. It then argues that it is difficult to furnish an explanation of this sort. The difficulty is that these interventions seem no more objectionable, in terms of the kind of mental interference that they involve, than certain forms of environmental influence that many would regard as morally innocuous. The argument proceeds by comparing a particular neurointervention with a comparable environmental intervention. The author argues, first, that the two dominant explanations for the objectionability of the neurointervention apply equally to the environmental intervention, and second, that the descriptive difference between the environmental intervention and the neurointervention that most plausibly grounds the putative moral difference in fact fails to do so. The author concludes by presenting a trilemma that falls out of the argument.
Peter John
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781447319467
- eISBN:
- 9781447319474
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447319467.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
The toolbox of governments increasingly resembles a set of informational cues and prompts. Governments and other public sector organisations realise that the traditional tools of government, such as ...
More
The toolbox of governments increasingly resembles a set of informational cues and prompts. Governments and other public sector organisations realise that the traditional tools of government, such as law and finance, need a supportive informational context to be effective. Recent developments in British government show that the distinction between nudge-like interventions and the traditional policy instruments cannot be sustained. These informational resources have increased the capacity of government and they can help alleviate the problems of top-down forms of intervention. In short, an informational focus to the tools of government can enhance more traditional forms of intervention.Less
The toolbox of governments increasingly resembles a set of informational cues and prompts. Governments and other public sector organisations realise that the traditional tools of government, such as law and finance, need a supportive informational context to be effective. Recent developments in British government show that the distinction between nudge-like interventions and the traditional policy instruments cannot be sustained. These informational resources have increased the capacity of government and they can help alleviate the problems of top-down forms of intervention. In short, an informational focus to the tools of government can enhance more traditional forms of intervention.
Jason Blakely
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- July 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190087371
- eISBN:
- 9780190087418
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190087371.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The pseudoscientific notion that humans are machines or computing robots has led to the spread of a manipulative way of being in both personal life and politics. This manipulative ethic is a ...
More
The pseudoscientific notion that humans are machines or computing robots has led to the spread of a manipulative way of being in both personal life and politics. This manipulative ethic is a “management ethos.” On the personal level, modern people increasingly try to gain control of their lives using a panoply of supposedly scientifically validated self-help methods and techniques. This chapter examines the influence of scientism on practices such as dating and efforts to enhance personal charisma. Many of these methods unwittingly turn courtship into a form of mass consumer shopping, replacing alternative ways of perceiving one’s deepest attachments. In political life, there has been a tremendous spread of technocratic forms of authority. Technocracy is a form of rule that replaces democratic rule by ordinary people with government by experts. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s popular book Nudge is criticized as an example of technocracy and the management ethos usurping democratic life.Less
The pseudoscientific notion that humans are machines or computing robots has led to the spread of a manipulative way of being in both personal life and politics. This manipulative ethic is a “management ethos.” On the personal level, modern people increasingly try to gain control of their lives using a panoply of supposedly scientifically validated self-help methods and techniques. This chapter examines the influence of scientism on practices such as dating and efforts to enhance personal charisma. Many of these methods unwittingly turn courtship into a form of mass consumer shopping, replacing alternative ways of perceiving one’s deepest attachments. In political life, there has been a tremendous spread of technocratic forms of authority. Technocracy is a form of rule that replaces democratic rule by ordinary people with government by experts. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s popular book Nudge is criticized as an example of technocracy and the management ethos usurping democratic life.
Stephen K. Reed
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197529003
- eISBN:
- 9780197529034
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197529003.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
A dichotomy that has influenced much theoretical and applied research on reasoning is the distinction between System I and System II reasoning. System I is intuitive, fast, based on associations, and ...
More
A dichotomy that has influenced much theoretical and applied research on reasoning is the distinction between System I and System II reasoning. System I is intuitive, fast, based on associations, and subject to biases. System II is analytic, slow, based on rules, and more competent. It should be kept in mind, however, that these distinctions do not always apply. A fast, correct response occurs when an expert automatically responds quickly, and a slow, incorrect response occurs when the answer is unknown. One tactic to improve reasoning is the use of nudges to steer people’s choices in a direction to improve their lives. Another tactic is the use of boosts to educate people to make better decisions. Action-based decision-making, such as firefighting and military engagement, requires making a series of decisions as the situation changes. Situation awareness is critical for making good decisions.Less
A dichotomy that has influenced much theoretical and applied research on reasoning is the distinction between System I and System II reasoning. System I is intuitive, fast, based on associations, and subject to biases. System II is analytic, slow, based on rules, and more competent. It should be kept in mind, however, that these distinctions do not always apply. A fast, correct response occurs when an expert automatically responds quickly, and a slow, incorrect response occurs when the answer is unknown. One tactic to improve reasoning is the use of nudges to steer people’s choices in a direction to improve their lives. Another tactic is the use of boosts to educate people to make better decisions. Action-based decision-making, such as firefighting and military engagement, requires making a series of decisions as the situation changes. Situation awareness is critical for making good decisions.
Martin Innes
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199684465
- eISBN:
- 9780191788093
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199684465.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology
A control signal is an act of social control conveying a message to a wider social audience. Starting with a story about the execution of a group of smugglers in the eighteenth century, that fades ...
More
A control signal is an act of social control conveying a message to a wider social audience. Starting with a story about the execution of a group of smugglers in the eighteenth century, that fades into an extensive discussion of the performative acts of policing, a number of types of control signal are mapped out. It is shown that control signals can be deliberately manufactured or emerge more organically out of social control acts and interventions. Furthermore a differentiation can be made between positive and negative signal effects. In the second half of the chapter the focus is upon how accenting the communicative properties and qualities of control acts has repercussions for our understandings of social control processes more broadly. A distinction between ‘signals of control’ and ‘signals to control’ is identified.Less
A control signal is an act of social control conveying a message to a wider social audience. Starting with a story about the execution of a group of smugglers in the eighteenth century, that fades into an extensive discussion of the performative acts of policing, a number of types of control signal are mapped out. It is shown that control signals can be deliberately manufactured or emerge more organically out of social control acts and interventions. Furthermore a differentiation can be made between positive and negative signal effects. In the second half of the chapter the focus is upon how accenting the communicative properties and qualities of control acts has repercussions for our understandings of social control processes more broadly. A distinction between ‘signals of control’ and ‘signals to control’ is identified.
Robin Hambleton
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781447304975
- eISBN:
- 9781447311843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447304975.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This chapter shows how place-based initiative was often the driving force behind the creation of new public services – from public parks, libraries, and museums, to social care, education and social ...
More
This chapter shows how place-based initiative was often the driving force behind the creation of new public services – from public parks, libraries, and museums, to social care, education and social housing. The chapter examines the changing nature of public service reform in the last thirty years or so, and distinguishes three broad approaches: 1) Consumerism (relying on market or quasi-market models and the power of ‘exit’), 2) Customer orientation (relying on self-improvement by public servants), and 3) Citizen empowerment (relying on strengthening the role of citizens in the co-creation of public services and the power of ‘voice’). The discussion offers a robust critique of ‘New Public Management’ and the notion of ‘Nudge in public policy’. In place of these flawed models the chapter suggests a democratic way forward for public service reform described as ‘New Civic Leadership’. This approach envisages a creative interplay between civil society, markets and the state.Less
This chapter shows how place-based initiative was often the driving force behind the creation of new public services – from public parks, libraries, and museums, to social care, education and social housing. The chapter examines the changing nature of public service reform in the last thirty years or so, and distinguishes three broad approaches: 1) Consumerism (relying on market or quasi-market models and the power of ‘exit’), 2) Customer orientation (relying on self-improvement by public servants), and 3) Citizen empowerment (relying on strengthening the role of citizens in the co-creation of public services and the power of ‘voice’). The discussion offers a robust critique of ‘New Public Management’ and the notion of ‘Nudge in public policy’. In place of these flawed models the chapter suggests a democratic way forward for public service reform described as ‘New Civic Leadership’. This approach envisages a creative interplay between civil society, markets and the state.
Peter Triantafillou and Naja Vucina
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781526100528
- eISBN:
- 9781526138972
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526100528.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter analyses predominant forms of political rationalities, expert knowledge, and governing technologies employed in the attempt to govern obesity in England. First, we look into some of the ...
More
This chapter analyses predominant forms of political rationalities, expert knowledge, and governing technologies employed in the attempt to govern obesity in England. First, we look into some of the historical antecedents to contemporary health promotion by briefly accounting for the preventive measures addressing obesity in the early twentieth century. We then turn to the re-casting of obesity as a question of lifestyle conduct during the 1980s. This is followed by an examination of the mobilisation of the community by the recent British governments and the attempt to apply behavioural knowledge and techniques (nudging) to governing obesity. Finally, we zoom in on the governing of child obesity and the role that the so-called fat camps play in obesity management.Less
This chapter analyses predominant forms of political rationalities, expert knowledge, and governing technologies employed in the attempt to govern obesity in England. First, we look into some of the historical antecedents to contemporary health promotion by briefly accounting for the preventive measures addressing obesity in the early twentieth century. We then turn to the re-casting of obesity as a question of lifestyle conduct during the 1980s. This is followed by an examination of the mobilisation of the community by the recent British governments and the attempt to apply behavioural knowledge and techniques (nudging) to governing obesity. Finally, we zoom in on the governing of child obesity and the role that the so-called fat camps play in obesity management.
Stephanie M. Stern and Daphna Lewinsohn-Zamir
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781479835683
- eISBN:
- 9781479857623
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479835683.003.0006
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter examines how the psychology of cognition, decision making, and deception affects buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. The chapter describes how some aspects of property law, ...
More
This chapter examines how the psychology of cognition, decision making, and deception affects buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. The chapter describes how some aspects of property law, such as standardized forms of property (e.g., fee simple ownership, leasing) may reduce information-processing costs and enhance understanding of transactions. Yet other laws, such as property defect disclosure, fail to respond to buyers who struggle to process, update, and price complex, late-coming information and sellers who are subject to motivated reasoning and tendencies toward deception. The chapter also considers emerging psychological evidence on conflicts of interest that calls into question the prevailing approach of allowing dual agency by brokers (i.e., representing both buyer and seller).Less
This chapter examines how the psychology of cognition, decision making, and deception affects buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. The chapter describes how some aspects of property law, such as standardized forms of property (e.g., fee simple ownership, leasing) may reduce information-processing costs and enhance understanding of transactions. Yet other laws, such as property defect disclosure, fail to respond to buyers who struggle to process, update, and price complex, late-coming information and sellers who are subject to motivated reasoning and tendencies toward deception. The chapter also considers emerging psychological evidence on conflicts of interest that calls into question the prevailing approach of allowing dual agency by brokers (i.e., representing both buyer and seller).
Alistair Ulph and Dale Southerton (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199679355
- eISBN:
- 9780191758423
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679355.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable consumption by drawing together insights from these diverse disciplines. The book was developed from presentations at a ...
More
This book aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable consumption by drawing together insights from these diverse disciplines. The book was developed from presentations at a conference held in honour of the distinguished economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta. Contributors were asked to situate their recent research on aspects of sustainable consumption in the broader context of how their disciplines tackle the subject of consumption and how disciplinary perspectives on consumption relate to one another. Chapters cover diverse topics, including: why the conventional economic models are inadequate for addressing sustainable consumption; the economics of happiness; the politics of ‘nudge’; the neuroscience of consumption; and social science approaches to sustainable consumption. The book’s extended introduction sketches the conventional economic model of consumption and explores how the chapters extend or challenge this understanding.Less
This book aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable consumption by drawing together insights from these diverse disciplines. The book was developed from presentations at a conference held in honour of the distinguished economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta. Contributors were asked to situate their recent research on aspects of sustainable consumption in the broader context of how their disciplines tackle the subject of consumption and how disciplinary perspectives on consumption relate to one another. Chapters cover diverse topics, including: why the conventional economic models are inadequate for addressing sustainable consumption; the economics of happiness; the politics of ‘nudge’; the neuroscience of consumption; and social science approaches to sustainable consumption. The book’s extended introduction sketches the conventional economic model of consumption and explores how the chapters extend or challenge this understanding.
Patrick Nash
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781529210835
- eISBN:
- 9781529210866
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529210835.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sociology of Religion
This chapter looks at the inadequacies of English law and notes their needless complexity. It criticises Akhter v Khan and suggests that reform guided by nudge theory offers a promising solution. It ...
More
This chapter looks at the inadequacies of English law and notes their needless complexity. It criticises Akhter v Khan and suggests that reform guided by nudge theory offers a promising solution. It then makes the case for moving towards a minimalistic law of marriage.Less
This chapter looks at the inadequacies of English law and notes their needless complexity. It criticises Akhter v Khan and suggests that reform guided by nudge theory offers a promising solution. It then makes the case for moving towards a minimalistic law of marriage.
Gerry Stoker
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199679355
- eISBN:
- 9780191758423
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679355.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
New insights from psychology and behavioural economics have encouraged a paradigm shift in policy debates towards a focus on ‘nudge’ strategies that are influenced by an understanding of the ...
More
New insights from psychology and behavioural economics have encouraged a paradigm shift in policy debates towards a focus on ‘nudge’ strategies that are influenced by an understanding of the cognitive and social factors driving human decision-making. However, translating behavioural insights into viable policy interventions is far from straightforward. Moreover, nudge strategies are normatively contested and far from certain to deliver behaviour change on their own. Sustainable consumption strategies pursued using nudge are more likely to be effective if: firstly, they were freed from their current neo-liberal framing, if normative doubts about their manipulative nature were addressed, and nudge strategies were seen to complement, rather than replace, traditional mechanisms of government intervention; and secondly, if the range of delivery partners, supporters, and backers were extended, lessening the threat to legitimacy created by ‘top-down’ approaches.Less
New insights from psychology and behavioural economics have encouraged a paradigm shift in policy debates towards a focus on ‘nudge’ strategies that are influenced by an understanding of the cognitive and social factors driving human decision-making. However, translating behavioural insights into viable policy interventions is far from straightforward. Moreover, nudge strategies are normatively contested and far from certain to deliver behaviour change on their own. Sustainable consumption strategies pursued using nudge are more likely to be effective if: firstly, they were freed from their current neo-liberal framing, if normative doubts about their manipulative nature were addressed, and nudge strategies were seen to complement, rather than replace, traditional mechanisms of government intervention; and secondly, if the range of delivery partners, supporters, and backers were extended, lessening the threat to legitimacy created by ‘top-down’ approaches.
Simon Deakin
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198863175
- eISBN:
- 9780191895678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198863175.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter addresses a number of methodological issues arising from the behavioural turn in law and economics and its claim to have established more realistic foundations for both positive and ...
More
This chapter addresses a number of methodological issues arising from the behavioural turn in law and economics and its claim to have established more realistic foundations for both positive and normative analysis. The first is whether models are necessarily better for being more realistic. Friedman’s proposal that the less realistic a model, the more useful it is as a basis for the identification of hypotheses, is rejected on the grounds that this is liable to direct research down fruitless or even erroneous paths. However, models such as the rationality axiom remain approximations of reality, not revealed truths. This leads on to a consideration of the second issue which is whether behavioural research should lead us to reject the rationality axiom. The claim that human beings are systematically wrong in their decision making is shown to be theoretically unsound and empirically unproven. Rather, theory and empirics alike suggest that rationality has a basis in social learning and institutional framing. The third issue concerns the normative conclusions to be drawn from behavioural law and economics. It is suggested that empirical research does not justify privileging ‘libertarian paternalism’ over alternative approaches to law and regulation. In the era of surveillance capitalism and the panoptic state, it is more than timely to reflect on the merits of collective learning and participatory decision making, democratic practices with adaptive qualities neglected by behavioural law and economics.Less
This chapter addresses a number of methodological issues arising from the behavioural turn in law and economics and its claim to have established more realistic foundations for both positive and normative analysis. The first is whether models are necessarily better for being more realistic. Friedman’s proposal that the less realistic a model, the more useful it is as a basis for the identification of hypotheses, is rejected on the grounds that this is liable to direct research down fruitless or even erroneous paths. However, models such as the rationality axiom remain approximations of reality, not revealed truths. This leads on to a consideration of the second issue which is whether behavioural research should lead us to reject the rationality axiom. The claim that human beings are systematically wrong in their decision making is shown to be theoretically unsound and empirically unproven. Rather, theory and empirics alike suggest that rationality has a basis in social learning and institutional framing. The third issue concerns the normative conclusions to be drawn from behavioural law and economics. It is suggested that empirical research does not justify privileging ‘libertarian paternalism’ over alternative approaches to law and regulation. In the era of surveillance capitalism and the panoptic state, it is more than timely to reflect on the merits of collective learning and participatory decision making, democratic practices with adaptive qualities neglected by behavioural law and economics.
