Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Nudging Public Policy: Examining the Benefits and Limitations of Paternalistic Public Policies (Economy, Polity, and Society)

Product Description This book asks several critical questions relevant to those interested in public policy: What is a nudge? What are the ethical implications of and justifications for nudges? Are we able to have nudges without affecting one's freedom to choose? In what institutional context are nudges likely to work well and in what context are they likely to fail? The text explores several real-world instances of government attempts at successful choice architecture across a wide range of policy topics: internet privacy laws, environmental policy, education policy, the sharing economy, and creating a national culture. This approach also highlights the spontaneous and evolutionary nature of social institutions like culture and trust. Attempts from policymakers to generate these social institutions where they did not exist previously are unlikely to succeed unless they are aligned with the unique characteristics of the society in question. This raises the question of whether the seemingly successful policy interventions were even necessary. A few of the chapters in this book directly examine these issues through case studies of both Latin America and Singapore. Each chapter in this volume explores the ways in which individuals in society respond to attempts by policymakers to "nudge" them towards a specific outcome. Some chapters explore the theoretical arguments in favor of utilizing this behavioral policy approach. Others explore the feasibility and potential limitations of this approach to public policy. Several of the chapters apply market process theory to understand a particular case study where nudge policies have been put into practice. The chapters, authored by an interdisciplinary group of policy scholars, include discussions of internet privacy laws, the sharing economy, education policy, environmental policy, as well as social issues such as trust and culture. About the Author Rosemarie Fike is an Instructor of Economics at Texas Christian University and a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute. She received her M.A. in Economics at George Mason University, and her Ph.D. in Economics at Florida State University. She is an alumna of the Mercatus Center's MA Fellowship and Adam Smith Fellowship programs. Her current research focuses on understanding the effects that different types of economic institutions have on the lives and status of women. In 2017, she received the Addington Prize for Measurement. Her work has been published in the Eastern Economics Journal, Journal of Economic Education, and Journal of Benefit/Cost Analysis. She has published opinion editorials in news outlets such as US News and World Report, The Hill, and Roll Call. Stefanie Haeffele is the Deputy Director of Academic and Student Programs and a senior fellow for the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She is the co-author of Community Revival in the Wake of Disaster: Lessons in Local Entrepreneurship with Virgil Henry Storr and Laura E. Grube (2015, Palgrave). Arielle John is an associate director of Academic and Student Programs, senior fellow with the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She received both an MA and PhD in Economics from George Mason University, and was a Mercatus Center PhD Fellow. Prior to her role at Mercatus, Arielle was an assistant professor of economics at Beloit College. Her primary research interest is entrepreneurship culture in the Caribbean. Most recently, Arielle worked as the advisor to the Minister of Public Administration and Communications in Trinidad and Tobago.