About this title: Every day we make decisions on topics ranging from the personal investments we select to the schools we pick for our children to the foods we eat to the causes we champion. Unfortunately, as authors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein astutely observe, we don't always choose well. The reason, the authors explain, is that we all are susceptible to ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: PENGUIN BOOKS LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780141040011ISBN:0141040017
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 320 pages. Every day we make decisions: about the things that we buy or the meals we eat; about the investments we make or our children's health and education; even the causes that we champion or the pla*n*e*t* itself. this book offers a fresh way of looking at the world for individuals and governments alike. (Paperback) read more
Description: Good. Hardcover published by Yale University Press 2008. A clean, sound copy. Tiny crease to two top page corners and slight creasing to dust jacket edges otherwise Very Good. read more
Edition: Updated
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780143115267ISBN:014311526X
Description: New. Citing decades of cutting-edge behavioral science research, the authors demonstrate that sensible choice architecture can successfully nudge people towards the best decisions without restricting their freedom. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780141040011ISBN:0141040017
Description: New. Every day we make decisions: about the things that we buy or the meals we eat; about the investments we make or our children's health and education; even the causes that we champion or the planet itself. This book offers a fresh way of looking at the... read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780143115267ISBN:014311526X
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 312 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. brand new read more
"My hubby picked up this book at the airport this summer and I was so intriqued by it, that I snatched it up for myself to read, too. This book's main hope is "that an understanding of choice architecture, and the power of nudges, will lead others to think of creative ways to improve human lives in other domains." It certainly has helped me in many areas of my life: in resisting temptation, saving for the future, re-financing our mortgages, and saving the planet! It changes the way you think about not only the world's biggest issues, but issues within yourself. We all need a good "nudge" sometimes to point us in the right direction and help us to make better decisions for our collective well-being. I found this book to be very informative and straight forward... a must read on anyone's list!! Did I mention that it was awarded Best Book of the Year by The Economist?"
By carefully designing the way people can choose within a universe of options you can direct them to choices you think are good for them while preserving their freedom of choice. For example, when one goes to get a driver's license and is presented with the option to be an organ donor many more people will sign up to be a donor if that is the default option, even though they could easily decline with the click of a mouse or a mark with a pencil. On the other hand, if the default option is not to participate, many fewer will.
Nudge makes a good point, but it's not enough for a book. Check it out of the library. Read the condensed version. Just read this review and extrapolate. It's a useful premise but could have been fully communicated in a long magazine article. I could have stopped reading 1/3 of the way through and not missed anything."
"Begin back-cover quote cliches: A thought-provoking book... A must-read for economists, politicians, and social scientists alike...A fascinating look into the meaning of free-choice...A brilliant and timely analysis of many of society's most pressing problems and potential solutions... End back-cover quote cliches.
All jesting aside, this really is a fascinating book with some really good points to make. Thaler and Sunstein discuss what they call libertarian paternalism and its possible applications to different problems. If the seeming contradiction in terms bothers you at all, or even strikes you as just a little bit odd, you really should go out now and read the book now. There are parts of the book which, for any psychologist or social scientist worth their salt will be rather boring and simplistic review, but they can be easily skipped. The meat of the book comes in the chapters dealing with retirement savings, mortgages and credit, health care, environment, gay marriage, and other issues. If nothing else, the book would be a great discussion-starter. Libertarian paternalism does (as the authors agree) have a fuzzy border with more intrusive control-and-command type policy, and not all problems I can think of are necessarily as amenable to choice architecture (notably the big "choice" issue - pro-choice or pro-life). Talking out when and where this can be usefully and ethically applied might be a good start for resetting some public policy debates that have gotten rather stuck."
"I liked this book. I was expecting something a little more Malcom Gladwellian. In fact, this is pretty dense reading with small print and lots of footnotes.
The authors describe themselves as "libertarian paternalists." Their idea is that governments and private institutions can take cost-effective steps to encourage people to make better decisions without actually restricting their liberties. A lot of the time, the way to do this is to better educate people about what their options are, rather than simply providing an overwhelming number of options.
There are some interesting and, I'm sure, true principles in here. I disagreed with a couple of the policy recommendations that supposedly stem from the ideas presented. Specifically, school choice and marriage. I could write a lot about why I disagree with the authors on these issues, but I won't. If you're interested, come talk to me.
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