Ethics of Nudging

Catalog description

Behavioral economics and the idea of 'nudging' have captured the attention of policy makers and the public. The idea that situations can be structured to make some choices and practices easier (and thus more likely) and make others harder (and thus less likely) is well established in psychology, organizational behavior, political science and sociology, but this raises the question of whether it is ethical for those in power to intentionally structure situations to nudge people one way or the other. This course will examine the work on behavioral economics and nudging, and the earlier research in other fields that underpins 'nudging' and the practical moral dilemmas it raises. 001317