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book2008

Nudge

Disciplines:
behavioral economics
politics/policy
psychology/decision-making

Summary

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's 2008 book — arguing that choice architecture (how options are presented) powerfully influences decisions, and that nudges (small changes to defaults and framing) can improve outcomes while preserving freedom.

Core Contribution

Creates libertarian paternalism as a policy framework — Nudge's argument (that policymakers can improve outcomes by designing choice architectures that make better options the default, without restricting freedom to choose otherwise) is the most politically palatable behavioral economics policy framework.

Historical Influences

Kahneman and Tversky Paul Samuelson

Intellectual Lineage

Thaler and SunsteinYale University Press Behavioral Insights Team

Allied Works

Thinking, Fast and Slow Misbehaving

Contemporaries & Peers

No recorded contemporaries.

Minds Influenced

Behavioral public policy

Intellectual Posterity

Nudge Libertarian paternalism Behavioral Insights Team Nudge units worldwide

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Nudge

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