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| Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness | 
 enlarge | Authors: Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher: Yale University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $16.19
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New (39) Used (9) from $16.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 341
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 293
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0300122233
Dewey Decimal Number: 330.019
EAN: 9780300122237
ASIN: 0300122233
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
How do we choose? August 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Well, humans are not as intelligent as we think. The first segment of this charming book is about experiments that make it clear we just don't think lots of the time. Of course, there are times when we can't have all the information necessary to make a good choice. So the point of the book is how "choice architects" can "nudge" people to make choices that are in their best interest. The book is very readable, it has a casual style that makes economics much less intimidating than it usually is. But it certainly provides a dose of self-awareness most of us probably will be embarrassed about - a smiley face can affect adult behavior!
 Terrific book that terrifies libertarians September 14, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
The idea that good government -- effective, productive, protective -- is possible, and even desireable, seems to drive libertarians and certain conservatives up the wall. It may have something to do with an overweening devotion to liberty, but I think it might have most to do with the fact that some people profit from the mistakes of others, and anti-governmental types want more individual profit. They enjoy the chaos and competition of an unfettered marketplace, which is particularly beneficial to those who depend on investments rather than a salary.
But when we consider the damage done to our society over the past eight years by a government that doesn't intervene when health and safety and livelihoods are at stake, we realize that liberty must be limited to some extent. The authors of this book are not necessarily suggesting we limit liberty, yet their critics have wasted no time decrying their liberal pedigrees and accusing them of promoting governmental intrusion into spheres of life that should remain private.
The authors are simply showing that when governments and companies help citizens and employees make better decision, when taxpayer dollars and corporate profits are channeled into such programs, everyone benefits, just as families do when parents present better choices to their children. I realize this statement will trigger another howl from libertarian conservatives about political elitists and do-gooders and the nanny state and the infantilization of our culture, but these generalizations are both selfish and cynical. Even good people need help at times, and we are morally bound to help them whether or not you may wish to.
The authors' detailed examples and reasoning provide excellent arguments for the kind of government we need. I hope everyone will read this useful, positive, and important book.
Thought-Provoking and Actionable Across a Wide Range of Topics September 18, 2008
If you've never hear of "choice architecture," it isn't because you haven't experienced it. From your 401(k) enrollment form to the location of food at the company cafeteria (heck, even the menu design), every choice you make (or don't make) results partly from a decision someone else (the choice architect) has made for you. Even while I was still reading Nudge, I found new ways of viewing day-to-day activities which have created both new opportunities and interesting challenges for me personally and professionally.
Nudge is the rare book that keeps you thinking after you read it. Rarer still for a book that is inherently academic. But, with its real world examples, Thaler and Sunstein bring libertarian paternalism to life. Wouldn't it be a hoot of those who could take advantage actually did so? I know I am going to try.
Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation About Income, Wealth, and the Steps in Between (Total Candor)
 Interesting October 10, 2008
This is an interesting book to read, with some decent ideas on how things come to happen, It reads a little dry at times but overall it is worth the time spent and does make one think of a differnet approach to persuasion and public influence.
This book is awesome! October 23, 2008
This is a terrific book. The authors cover terrain which has been explored recently in books such as "Predictably Irrational" and "Sway" -- loosely speaking, why we humans persistently engage in behavior patterns which do not benefit us in the long term. Their own research, at the University of Chicago, builds upon the work of Tversky and Kahneman in behavioral economics; the behavioral insights gained form the basis for public policy changes in a number of different areas.
The book provides a funny, engaging, remarkably clear exposition of the various factors which lead us to make poor decisions. This alone would make it worth reading. What makes it exceptional is that they actually suggest *remedies* that might help us save ourselves from our own flawed gut instincts. Indeed, they go one step further, making a convincing argument for incorporating these remedies as a part of public policy. The examples that they consider are directly relevant to decisions each of us faces routinely: choices that primarily affect our own welfare, like decisions about health and lifestyle, credit and money management, investing for retirement; and choices with broader societal implications, like those pertaining to environmental behavior, organ donation, charitable giving and community involvement. They use the term "libertarian paternalism" to characterize their public policy recommendations; don't allow the term to put you off - their suggestions really make a lot of sense.
"Nudge" is very well-written and extremely readable. I was impressed by the amount of useful and interesting material the authors managed to incorporate in just 250 pages. I highly recommend this book.
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