Simple nudges that are not so easy

Abstract

In this paper, we critically review three assumptions that govern the debate on the legitimacy of nudging interventions as a policy instrument: (1) nudges may violate autonomous decision-making; (2) nudges lend themselves to easy implementation in public policy; and (3) nudges are a simple and effective mean for steering individual choice in the right direction. Our analysis reveals that none of these assumptions are supported by recent studies entailing unique insights into nudging from three disciplinary outlooks: ethics, public administration and psychology. We find that nudges are less of a threat to autonomous choice than critics sometimes claim, making them ethically more legitimate than often assumed. Nonetheless, because their effectiveness is critically dependent on boundary conditions, their implementation is far from easy. The findings of this analysis thus suggest new opportunities for identifying when and for whom nudge interventions are preferable to more conventional public policy arrangements.

Improving hand hygiene in hospitals: comparing the effect of a nudge and a boost on protocol compliance

“…However, others argue that restricting individual autonomy is not inviolable (Conly, 2012), and in this sense, a 'minor' autonomy violation caused by a nudge might not be that problematic. Moreover, some argue that nudges do not even constitute a violation of autonomy, as they help individuals to be autonomous in making the choices they actually want (De Ridder et al, 2020).…”

Committing to Keep Clean: Nudging Complements Standard Policy Measures to Reduce Illegal Urban Garbage Disposal in a Neighborhood With High Levels of Social Cohesion

“…We enriched the standard policy of the municipality of Rotterdam regarding illegal garbage disposals the "next to street containers" (i.e., door-to-door canvassing) with a combination of nudges that complemented already existing municipality policy because this approach was expected to be most effective (de Ridder et al, 2020). Specifically, we employed a commitmentnudge (e.g., King et al, 2013) and reminders with clear, explicit, and graphic instructions for the desired behavior (Kolodko et al, 2016).…”

“…Such complementary measures have recently been described as the "most promising frontier" (Ewert, 2020) in behavioral public policy as most applications in the past have treated behavioral measures as standalone solutions (Hansen, 2018;Sanders et al, 2018). Yet, behavioral measures were said to be more effective if taking into account the wider (policy) context (de Ridder et al, 2020). With this study we aim to take a step in that direction.…”

Optimising Nudges in Public Space: Identifying and Tackling Barriers to Design and Implementation

“…While the use of behavioural theories is acknowledged in both the planning and nudge literature to enhance the effectiveness of policy designs, applying such theories in nudge design has proven difficult (Churchman, 2008;Kim, 2011). A lack of understanding exists about the barriers that prevent urban planners from applying these theories (De Ridder et al, 2020).…”