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Nudge theory’s popularity may block insights into improving society

#1
C C Offline
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nudg...ral-change

INTRO: Imagine removing a branch of the U.S. government, say the Supreme Court. What are the myriad ways that such an upheaval might reshape people’s lives?

Policy makers and researchers probably would want to have an idea of what those effects might be before erasing the highest court in the land. But “you can’t test deep structural changes like that in an experiment” first, says behavioral decision–making expert David Gal of the University of Illinois Chicago.

Likewise, less wildly hypothetical but perhaps still far-reaching changes to society, such as expanding Social Security or providing universal parental leave, can’t be tested with conventional experiments that include control and experimental groups. As a result, many behavioral scientists today have instead turned to researching “nudges” — smaller interventions that operate within existing policies. Nudges can influence human behavior, research suggests, and can be readily tested using experiments before being applied.

But this recent overreliance on nudges has stifled broader behavioral science research and insights into how to create a better society, Gal and marketing expert Derek Rucker of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., contend January 12 in a  commentary in Nature Reviews Psychology

Nudges exploded in popularity in 2008 when economist Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago and law professor Cass Sunstein of Harvard University published a book on the topic. That research netted Thaler a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and inspired governments worldwide to set up nudge units to modify or create public policies (SN: 10/9/17; SN: 3/18/17).

Examples of nudges include offering small cash rewards to encourage people to get a new vaccine or sending text reminders about a looming deadline. For instance, researchers recently revamped a court summons form and sent text reminders to get more people to attend mandatory court appointments in New York City. The intervention increased court attendance by roughly 20 percent over previous years, the researchers estimate (SN: 10/08/20).

But such nudges ignore thornier societal problems, such as over-policing in low-income neighborhoods where these summons are typically issued, lawyer and sociologist Issa Kohler-Hausmann of Yale University wrote in a perspective piece that accompanied the research... (MORE - missing details)

RELATED (Wikipedia): Nudge theory
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#2
Syne Offline
50 states are the testing grounds for policy. For instance, California could try giving up its own state supreme court. They've already bankrupted themselves trying to do things like expand welfare and provide universal parental leave.
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#3
confused2 Offline
(Feb 18, 2022 12:58 AM)Syne Wrote: 50 states are the testing grounds for policy. For instance, California could try giving up its own state supreme court. They've already bankrupted themselves trying to do things like expand welfare and provide universal parental leave.
What would happen if you offered (nudged) a higher salary without parental leave or (optionally) a lower salary with parental leave?
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#4
Syne Offline
(Feb 18, 2022 08:04 PM)confused2 Wrote: What would happen if you offered (nudged) a higher salary without parental leave or (optionally) a lower salary with parental leave?

Different companies already offer differing benefits. Government mandating it would only reduce competition for good employees.
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#5
confused2 Offline
(Feb 19, 2022 12:49 AM)Syne Wrote:
(Feb 18, 2022 08:04 PM)confused2 Wrote: What would happen if you offered (nudged) a higher salary without parental leave or (optionally) a lower salary with parental leave?

Different companies already offer differing benefits. Government mandating it would only reduce competition for good employees.
One might expect employers with lower salaries but better (say) maternal leave terms be more attractive to women than men with the result that overall men tend to have higher salaries (with fewer benefits) than women. Is there any evidence of this effect?
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#6
Syne Offline
(Feb 20, 2022 12:59 AM)confused2 Wrote: One might expect employers with lower salaries but better (say) maternal leave terms be more attractive to women than men with the result that overall men tend to have higher salaries (with fewer benefits) than women. Is there any evidence of this effect?

We noticed gender differences regarding certain benefits. Most notable, women were more likely to prefer family benefits like paid parental leave and free day care services. Parental leave is of high value to female employees: 25% of women said they’d give parental leave heavy consideration when choosing a job (only 14% of men said the same). Men were more likely than women to value team-bonding events, retreats, and free food. Both genders value fitness-related perks, albeit different types. Women are more likely to prefer free fitness and yoga classes, while men are more likely to prefer an on-site gym and free gym memberships.
https://hbr.org/2017/02/the-most-desirab...e-benefits


More high-cost benefits aren't provided in a vacuum, and very likely do affect pay.
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