It’s on You

“Two of the leading scientists of human decision-making, on which the ‘nudge’ movement in behavioral economics is based, write that nudges have vastly over promised and under-delivered. Instead of trying to solve big, systematic problems by marginally changing how individuals respond to perverse incentives, they persuasively advise us to systematically change those incentives with the tools of government and democracy.”

“This excellent book powerfully argues that focusing on individual psychology and incentives (and nudges) for tackling some of the most vexing problems of today—from obesity to climate change, health care and inequality—is a losing proposition. Not only is it insufficient, but it shifts the blame onto the victims of systemic failures, often undergirded by political economy factors and excessive corporate power. From two experts in behavioral economics and social psychology, we have a master class on how to blend individual psychology with institutions, so that people are encouraged to get involved and develop solutions to our urgent problems via the democratic process.”

“A wise and deeply-researched book and a stirring call to action. It is rare to see such expert thinkers reflect so profoundly on the risks of their own field.”

“This is an excellent book—engaging and well written. The authors convincingly show that in a system with complex interactions, nudge-style interventions at the individual level fail when the problem lies in the structure. They also reveal how large corporations play a key role in obscuring this fact.”

“If you believe corporate America, preventing a climate crisis is up to you. So is putting a halt to the obesity epidemic, stopping mass shootings, and fixing America’s dysfunctional healthcare system, which delivers the poorest care in the affluent world at the highest cost. Chater and Loewenstein make a convincing case that this is little more than a self-serving lie. Indeed, the proposition that our greatest societal problems must be solved through individual action is leading America astray.”