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Behavioral mechanism design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2023

Samuel Bowles Open the ORCID record for Samuel Bowles [Opens in a new window]
Samuel Bowles*
Affiliation:
Behavioral Sciences Program, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA [email protected]; https://sites.santafe.edu/~bowles/
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Abstract

The authors make a convincing case that behavioral scientists have mistakenly focused on improving individual decision making and in so doing have deflected attention from necessary changes in the rules of the game – societal institutions and policies – that shape individual decisions. To address this problem a behavioral science of public policy requires rethinking fundamental economic concepts including preferences and incentives.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e149
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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