The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science

Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society

by Cass R. Sunstein

In recent years, 'Nudge Units' or 'Behavioral Insights Teams' have been created in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other nations. All over the world, public officials are using the behavioral sciences to protect the environment, promote employment and economic growth, reduce poverty, and increase national security. In this book, Cass R. Sunstein, the eminent legal scholar and best-selling co-author of Nudge, breaks new ground with a deep yet highly readable investigation into the ethical issues surrounding nudges, choice architecture, and mandates, addressing such issues as welfare, autonomy, self-government, dignity, manipulation, and the constraints and responsibilities of an ethical state. Complementing the ethical discussion, The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science contains a wealth of new data on people's attitudes towards a broad range of nudges, choice architecture, and mandates.

Genres: Politics, Economics, Nonfiction, Psychology, Philosophy

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2016

About the author

Cass R. Sunstein is an American legal scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics, who currently is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. For 27 years, Sunstein taught at the University of Chicago Law School, where he continues to teach as the Harry Kalven Visiting Professor. Sunstein is currently Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, where he is on leave while working in the Obama administration.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one of the pioneers in behavioral economics and how that field can be mined to improve public policy, Sunstein (former Administrator of OIRA) assesses the ethical uses of "nudges" as part of government regulatory policy making. Nudges influence behavior while maintaining freedom of choice for citizens, but can be viewed as paternalistic and/or manipulative. Sunstein argues that nudges should only be used when they promote the general welfare, maintain autonomy, support self-government, and support human dignity. For more discussion of actual uses of nudges by government, see his book Simpler: The Future of Government.

[Leinad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read it cover to cover, but what I have read of this book reveals it to be one of the more thoughtful works of Cass Sunstein that I've read. "Nudge", "Why Nudge", and several of Sunstein's journal articles reveal a tendency to sometimes misunderstand or strawman his critics. In The Ethics of Influence, by contrast, Sunstein seems to take the time to understand his critics better. As such, this book makes quite a lot of good points, and is really quite interesting and engaging.

[Takuya Kitazawa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice attempt to give a foundational understanding of behavioral science, especially in a political context, and NOT to draw a line between sensitive matters e.g., ethical vs. unethical, autonomy vs. manipulation, nudge vs. enforcement. It'd be such a critical piece of work in the age of digital technology, where it's so easy to change "default options" through algorithms. However, the repetition of the same examples and inconclusive narrative gave me the impression that the book (and the state of the research) tells little to nothing actionable for us. I don't know if it actually represents the reality of the field of behavioral science, or if the book is simply not written for general audiences.

[Till · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has had some lengths in explaining things I had read several times in other Beh. Sc. books (also by Cass Sunstein). This took something away from the overall reading experience.
Nonetheless, there were some interesting new considerations and insights with respect to the ethical judgments about behavior informed interventions. The redundant parts could just be skimmed I guess.

[Gette · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too long…I’m not sure how many chapters you need to talk about the effectiveness of nudges.

Rating system:
5 - Absolutely loved it!
4 - Enjoyed it / Interesting read
3 - Good / It was okay
2 - Could be better / Wasn’t that interesting
1 - Why did this even get published?

[Chen Ann Siew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Textbook material on when it’s appropriate or acceptable to introduce different kinds of nudges.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing book. It discusses the ethical questions around influence in government policies, but as a social media influencer, it made me think of the ethics in social media nudges as well

[Bernadette Turkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts but personally struggled to get through the book. I feel that it could have been much shorter without taking away from the messaging.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

when interacting; make people choice without them losing the autonomy. do you influence or manipulate people?

[Nate Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent book discussing the ethical implications of Nudging by government and coporate actors. Honest and objective assessment of the potential pitfalls and ways nudging could turn people off, or have the opposite of the desired effect. Somewhat dryly written.

[Yuekun Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nudges, in some ways, preserve people from freedom of choice.
Would nudges run afoul of ethical issues?
Would people feel offended or manipulated?
What kind of nudges people welcome?
How do defaults rules influence people’s decision?
Recommend to those who are interested in the topic of “Nudges” or "politics".