The Latest Breaking News from Cass Sunstein

An explainer from Cass Sunstein

I'm delighted to report that Prof. Cass Sunstein (Harvard) will be guest-blogging this week about this new book. Here's the publisher's summary: From renowned legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein, a concise, case-by-case guide to resolving free-speech dilemmas at colleges and universities. Free speech is indispensable on college campuses: allowing varied…

It’s been 15 years since a particular concept of behavioural science went mainstream. “Nudge theory”, the notion that our behaviour can be successfully influenced through “soft” interventions, has subsequently appealed to plenty of people seeking to change the way we live.

One of the things still worrying me about robodebt was the attention to detail.

Suppose you are in a pub with friends. You drink a few beers, have a good time, and head home. The following morning you realise your headache is milder than usual. You then discover that you were part of an experiment where the glasses at the pub were 25% smaller.

Nudging – the idea that simple changes to how a choice is presented can lead people to make better decisions – has been one of the most popular ideas to emerge from economics in the past two decades.

You can ‘nudge’ someone to take up new activities, but unless they truly believe in its value, they won’t keep it up.

The Checks and Balances Letter delivers news and information from Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Project, including pivotal actions at the federal and state levels related to the separation of powers, due process, and the rule of law.

Is behavioural public policy a distraction from finding systemic solutions?