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The Theory and Practice of “Nudging”: Changing Health Behaviors
Author(s) -
Vlaev Ivo,
King Dominic,
Dolan Paul,
Darzi Ara
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/puar.12564
Subject(s) - nudge theory , legislation , behavior change , context (archaeology) , overeating , health care , choice architecture , behavioral economics , work (physics) , public relations , health policy , public policy , psychology , public economics , political science , social psychology , economics , medicine , law , microeconomics , paleontology , mechanical engineering , biology , obesity , engineering
Many of the most significant challenges in health care—such as smoking, overeating, and poor adherence to evidence‐based guidelines—will only be resolved if we can influence behavior. The traditional policy tools used when thinking about influencing behavior include legislation, regulation, and information provision. Recently, policy analysts have shown interest in policies that “nudge” people in particular directions, drawing on advances in understanding that behavior is strongly influenced in largely automatic ways by the context within which it is placed. This article considers the theoretical basis for why nudges might work and reviews the evidence in health behavior change. The evidence is structured according to the Mindspace framework for behavior change. The conclusion is that insights from behavioral economics offer powerful policy tools for influencing behavior in health care. This article provides public administration practitioners with an accessible summary of this literature, putting these insights into practical use .