A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social and behavioral scientists
The story of the book ‘Nudge’ offers insights into what can happen when research has an unpredictably large impact in the world of politics and policy
New research reviewing an influential 2021 paper supporting the efficacy of the ‘nudge’ and others now warns nudges may not have any effect on behavior at all.
If the promises of behavioral science can be believed, the UK government’s use of it would potentially minimize economic disruption while still tackling the crisis. This is because, in theory, behavioral science can achieve desirable behaviors without significantly impacting other day-to-day activities. However, the question is whether in practice behavioral science is helping to mitigate disaster.
In this Social Science Bites podcast, experimental psychologist David Halpern, the British Nudge Unit’s chief executive, offers interviewer David Edmonds a quick primer on nudging, examples of nudges that worked (and one that didn’t), how nudging differs between the UK and the United States, and the interface of applied nudging and academic behavioral science.
The year 2017 turned out to be the start for mainstream behavioral economics after a leading practitioner in the field won a Nobel prize for his work. Throughout 2017, The Conversation asked experts in economics, psychology and other areas to address the power of this burgeoning field, as well as its potential for misuse. Here are some articles for your consideration.
Richard Thaler was not the first proponent of behavioral economics to be awarded a Nobel Prize, notes Sergey Popov. But Thaler’s star turn came when the Great Recession and it orgy or irrationality brought a lot of attention to research that extensively cites the University of Chicago’s economist’s 40-year-long academic career.
Richard H. Thaler, the University of Chicago economist whose contributions linking psychology to the ‘dismal science’ caught the public’s eye in his co-authored bestselling book Nudge, has received this year’s Nobel Prize in economic sciences.
Governments around the world have found success using the burgeoning field of behavioral science to improve the efficiency of their policies and increase citizens’ well-being. We need clear guidelines on when and how to use behavioral science in policy.
In this column from the Association for Psychological Science, David Yokum, a leader of the Obama administration’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, details what that nudge team has been doing.
When it comes to many of the big decisions faced by governments – and the private sector – behavioral science has more to offer than simple nudges.
The current A-Level exams in psychology taken by British teens reflect a curriculum focusing on ‘problems’ within individuals, argue two UK psychologists, rather than taking into account the influence of society on people’s actions and behavior.
Affective judgments lead us to focus on individual tragedies while blinding us to large-scale tragedy. How can knowing this help us craft the best responses?
