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1 - Introduction

Puppets and Puppet Masters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2019

Mario J. Rizzo
Affiliation:
New York University
Glen Whitman
Affiliation:
California State University, Northridge
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Summary

Behavioral paternalism rejects the view that individuals always do the best for themselves, by their own lights and given their constraints. A large number of systematic mistakes called biases allegedly prevent individuals from enhancing their own welfare. This general position supports an array of policy prescriptions designed to correct their decision-making. Ideal decisions are those neoclassical agents would make if they were not plagued by biases. These are the decisions of a model construct (a “puppet”). We review the leading paternalist policy proposals and their behavioral rationales. We then preview some of our criticisms and summarize the contents of subsequent chapters.

Type
Chapter
Information
Escaping Paternalism
Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy
, pp. 1 - 24
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Introduction
  • Mario J. Rizzo, New York University, Glen Whitman, California State University, Northridge
  • Book: Escaping Paternalism
  • Online publication: 02 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139061810.002
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Mario J. Rizzo, New York University, Glen Whitman, California State University, Northridge
  • Book: Escaping Paternalism
  • Online publication: 02 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139061810.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Mario J. Rizzo, New York University, Glen Whitman, California State University, Northridge
  • Book: Escaping Paternalism
  • Online publication: 02 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139061810.002
Available formats
×