Behavioral approaches to development economics and policy have gained momentum in recent years. A growing number of papers studying behavior of people in poor countries have been published in top journals, accompanied by the rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In 2015, the was dedicated to behavioral and cognitive research and policy. Papers studying how to or have become classics in the field. Lots of hope has been placed into social experiments and behavioral policies .
Behavioral policies are of course not reserved for policy-making in poor countries. In fact, nudges became famous with a . Many behavioral instruments have been discussed and tested in and for rich countries. But there has been an important difference as compared to the debates in development economics: when debating behavioral policies in rich countries, scholars have also devoted lots of time to consider normative and ethical concerns. For example, following Thaler and Sunstein鈥檚 exposition of (see also ), a debate unfolded on whether nudges could be anti-libertarian (, , , or ). Implications of the use of nudges as a new form of government policy have been analyzed, for example, from a , or with a focus on . have been written about . The debate has reached a great level of differentiation, e.g. when authors argue that so-called (these are nudges that seek to stimulate voluntary cooperation in social dilemma situations) may be justified for different reasons than those targeting individual welfare. Overall, the debate has become really sophisticated, and the autonomy, welfare, and dignity of citizens in rich countries as well as consequences of the use of behavioral policies for these countries鈥� modes of government have received lots of careful scrutiny (recently again ).Read More »
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