Rationality and Irrationality in Government

Contributor(s): Professor Cass Sunstein | What impact is behavioural science having on politics and business? Simplified disclosure, default rules, social norms, and ‘choice architecture’ are all being used to steer people in specific directions. Are these ‘nudges’ improving our decisions? Are they offsetting irrational behaviour? Cass Sunstein, author of Nudge and the previous Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration will discuss these new policies and the question they raise about freedom of choice. Cass Sunstein (@CassSunstein) is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. Tali Sharot is Director of the Affective Brain Lab (funded by a fellowship from the Wellcome Trust) and Reader in the Department of Experimental Psychology at UCL. The Forum for European Philosophy (@LSEPhilosophy ) is an educational charity which organises and runs a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK. Credits: LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).