GOV 1759: Behavioral Insights and Public Policy, Nudging for Good

Behavioral economics focuses on the ways in which our individual actions, rather than resulting from rational self-interested decisions, reflect a variety of biases, habits, emotions, and considerations about others. Many governments have created behavioral insights teams to apply these insights to rethink traditional approaches to policy. We will examine recent research and applications in areas including healthcare, crime, discrimination, retirement savings, consumer credit, environmental conservation, welfare, employment, education, taxation, and foreign aid.