Nudge with Richard Thaler

Since the 2008 publication of the global bestseller Nudge, co-authored by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, the word “nudge” has entered the vocabulary of many businesspeople, policymakers, engaged citizens and consumers everywhere. It has taught us how to use thoughtful “choice architecture”—a concept the authors invented—to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families and our society.

"Nudging" is a simple change that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives. It’s the option to opt out of your company’s 401k retirement program as opposed to opting in, or the placement of fruits and vegetables at eye level in grocery stores to encourage healthier eating.

In 2021, the authors have rewritten the book from cover to cover, building Nudge: The Final Edition out of the last dozen years’ worth of new research, insight, and experience. The book touches on a wide variety of issues we face in our daily lives—COVID-19, personal finance, home mortgages, climate change and more.

Co-author and economist Richard Thaler is the professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago and, in 2017, won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to the field of behavioral economics. Join us as Thaler reveals the power of understanding decision-making in modern society, existing in the gap between economics and psychology.

NOTES

Thaler photo by France Leclerc.

Speakers
Image - Richard Thaler

Richard Thaler

Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Co-Author, Nudge: The Final Edition; Twitter @R_Thaler

Image - Kirk Hanson

In Conversation with Kirk Hanson

Senior Fellow and Former Executive Director, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University; Twitter @kirkohanson