Libertarian Paternalism (Nudging)

[JohannGE]

What a contradiction in terms! Social engineering rears it's ugly head.

"The economist RICHARD THALER argues that as humans, we are often ill-equipped to make even the smallest decisions and explains why his strategy of Libertarian Paternalistic ‘nudging’ would benefit us all."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/starttheweek (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/starttheweek)

Further revisionist apologism in the same program from Geoff Mulgan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Mulgan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Mulgan).

"The financial markets and the world economy continue to face serious global challenges. In next month’s edition of Prospect magazine, GEOFF MULGAN writes about the future of capitalism. Has capitalism lost the ability to protect its own future and, if so, what could supersede it? Geoff argues that capitalism will no longer dominate society and culture as much as it does today – it may become a servant rather than a master, and the slump could accelerate this change."

To cap it all Piers Morgan campaigns for a nanny state. The whole program sounded like an apology for the mess capitalism has got us into and an apeal that if we would just give them another chance, they will get it right next time. They even consider the revamping of "celeb culture"

[Raúl Duke]

The whole program sounded like an apology for the mess capitalism has got us into and an apeal that if we would just give them another chance, they will get it right next time. They even consider the revamping of "celeb culture"

Sounds familiar...but I'm not going indepth on that tangent.

But how/what exactly does this "nudging" consists of?

[JohannGE]

Sounds familiar...but I'm not going indepth on that tangent.

But how/what exactly does this "nudging" consists of?


Basicly social control, but all for the best you understand. :confused: This bloke isn't just another anonymous think tank dreamer, he apears to be increasingly taken seriously in all the wrong places. The radio program linked above gives a good overview in the first 10 mins. Here are some articles if you prefer to read:-

"What is Nudge?
It's where economics meets psychology. Mainstream economics treats humans as if they are smart and always clear about their own interest. Trouble is, we aren't like that: (cut) Nudge suggests ways in which we can do the right thing."
snip
"American firms are signing up to Thaler and Sunstein's idea of Save More Tomorrow, where workers are automatically enrolled into a savings scheme; contribution go up in line with pay. Gordon Brown is introducing something similar here."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/12/economy.conservatives1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews


(Richard Thaler)...."He "talks a lot" to Obama's camp, especially the chief economics adviser, Austan Goolsbee. "We gave Goolsbee the book when it was still in proof. He read the whole thing and just lifted some parts."
The Democratic proposals on automatically enrolling workers into pension schemes is classic Nudge."

David Cameron :- "One of the most important influences on people's behaviour is what other people do ... with the right prompting we'll change our behaviour to fit in with what we see around us."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/12/economy.conservatives

"Every day, we make decisions on topics ranging from personal investments to schools for our children to the meals we eat to the causes we champion.
Unfortunately, we often choose poorly.
Thaler (http://www.nudges.org/thaler.cfm) and Sunstein (http://www.nudges.org/Sunstein.cfm) invite us to enter an alternative world, one that takes our humanness as a given. They show that by knowing how people think, we can design choice environments that make it easier for people to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their society. Thaler (http://www.nudges.org/thaler.cfm) and Sunstein (http://www.nudges.org/Sunstein.cfm) demonstrate how thoughtful choice architecture can be established to nudge us in beneficial directions without restricting freedom of choice.
Nudge offers a unique new take-from neither the left nor the right-on many hot-button issues, for individuals and governments alike."

http://www.nudges.org/

[(edit) Sorry Johnny and other non UK residents, I forgot you couldn't get BBC's listen again. I will try to remember to include online refs in future.]