The ethics of ‘Nudge’ in professional education

The aim of this piece is to clarify three key matters: (a) the extent to which, as citizens, our volition is impacted as a result of the implementation of nudges in the health domain; (b) the efficacy of educational campaigns as a means of behavioral change relative to other nudges as well as typical regulatory instruments; and (c) the empirical, theoretical, and practical details that ethical debates concerning nudges might want to consider.

Since the birth of nudge theory, there has been an ongoing debate over whether the use of nudging should be seen as an ethical way of attempting to change behaviors. Part of this debate stems from the fact that nudging is often seen as a form of paternalism, and paternalism is in itself a highly debatable topic, and many see paternalism as a threat to individual liberty, autonomy, and freedom (Hausman and Welch, 2010, p 127-128). However, I will not discuss nudging in terms of paternalism, as a thorough report on paternalism would leave very little room for applicable suggestions for the case at hand. This case is concerning the Future Food Lab at the Utrecht University, where vegetarian options are offered in order to help in the transition to a less wasteful and more sustainable society (Voorberg et al., 2020, p 2). However, the Future Food Lab is faced with a lack of consumers, and several researchers (Bosshard and Cannon, Dekker et al., Voet et al., Voorberg et al.)have suggested that nudging can be an effective means in getting more people to consume from the Future Food Lab. Before any of these interventions are implemented, they ought to be examined to analyze and determine how ethically justifiable they are. In order to address this case, first I will define what nudging is. Then, I will provide an overview of the arguments made for and against the use of nudge theory. Next, I will shift to focus more on manipulation and why it is problematic, before examining the features of manipulation that must be avoided to ensure nudging is conducted ethically. After that, I will differentiate between different types of nudging, in order to better highlight which types of nudges are acceptable, and which are inherently unethical. I will argue that only transparent type 2 nudges, that have proself or pro-social aims, ought to be considered ethically justified. Finally, I will apply my conclusions to the case of the Future Food Lab at the Utrecht University, in order to clarify how these findings can be practically applied to real life scenarios, and provide a framework to help managers and policymakers determine whether a proposed nudge should be seen as ethically justifiable or not

Journal of Xi’an Shiyou University, Natural Science Edition, 2020

As per the definition given by the Cambridge Dictionary, “ To nudge is to push something or someone gently, especially to push someone with your elbow to attract the erson's attention.” Nudge is one of the most influential concept on public policy published in recent years. Its ideas are relevant to public policy, academic research, and business. According to Richard Thaler and Cass R Sunstein; “ In many cases, people make pretty bad decisions- decisions they would not have made if they had paid, full attention and possessed complete information, unlimited cognitive abilities, and complete self-control” ( Thaler, Sunstein,2015) Educators, Governments, and bureaucrats, who draft academic policy, should focus on the growth of knowledge and not mere knowledge in the form of content and information. Academic decision making is for growth of knowledge, in the absence of this, everything is possible but if the growth of knowledge is not occurring, then it is a barren policy. This creates a waste of land, this article is on improving decisions about learning in higher education through nudging is an attempt to make it free from crisis and to make it more sustainable. Key-Words: Nudging, Higher Education, Crisis in Education, Choice Architecture, Libertarian Paternalism

Non Scholae Sed Vitae: Does Nudge Theory Indicate a Privation of Education?, 2021

This paper presents the hypothesis that the increased use of Nudge theory is symptomatic of a privation of international education. In order to perform this task, the paper will implement the method of intertextual analysis between Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s 2008 work, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Nudge) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2015 publication, Rethinking Education: Towards a global common good? Using this method, I aim to demonstrate that the increasing global interest in education appears to have arisen following the success of Nudge theory.

Higher Education

The study examines the influence of nudging on the successful studies of Higher education institutions (HEI’s) students. Data from one of the typical countries of the Central European region (Czech Republic) is analyzed. The goal of the research was to find out how students accept individual forms of nudging. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey at Czech HEIs (N = 207) and structured interviews with experts (N = 19) were conducted. This study showed that information nudges and high-touch nudges enjoyed the highest level of acceptance. A strong correlation was also found between “most irritating” and group “manipulative” nudges. These forms of nudging fluctuated around the borderline value of acceptance. A strong or moderate correlation was also found between nudges with similar content and different forms. Structured interviews showed that experts supported the use of nudges. They considered it an important tool to influence the study’s success. Experts explained the differences...

Tendencias, 2024

In this research it was examined how students of two private institutions perceive the nudges. Although the nudge theory has gained considerable popularity in international research, as it is reflected on recent articles in international magazines, it does not count on the recognition or implementation in a local context. In that way, with the developed research, knowledge is generated with regard to the population object of study and it is an important test about the possible implementations of deliberative and non-deliberative nudges in public policies. The methodology used is a quantitative approach, descriptive method, snowball probabilistic sample technique and the test was carried out through chi square to determine gender perception. The results gotten showed that students are receptive to the use of nudge tool in their daily contexts. In conclusion, there is acceptance of the use of deliberative nudges and there is a little distrust of non-deliberative nudges, likewise, it is exposed that nowadays the nudge tool is discussed in top level international universities; nevertheless, in the Latin American context, its formulation is minimal.

Behavior and Social Issues, 2020

Behavior analysis and behavioral economics represent different traditions, but with relevant points of intersection and complementarity. Recent studies point to convergences and divergences, often in a nonspecific way, and thus lack a careful analysis of some ontological, technical, and ethical aspects-particularly those involved in proposals of such sciences for the regulation of life in society. This article aims to elucidate points of contact and distancing between these sciences, focusing on the concept of nudge. A behavioranalytic view on the concept of nudge is provided with a focus on (a) its underlying view of the individual, (b) a sample of nudging techniques, and (c) some of the ethical arguments of its proponents. It is suggested that although interchanges between behavior analysis and behavioral economics are feasible and promising, there are significant differences between their theoretical foundations. Finally, how the dialogue between both could lead to a reconsideration of the centrality of some of B. F. Skinner's propositions is discussed.

Journal of Medical Ethics, 2013 (online Feb 20, 2013)

""In recent years, “nudge” theory has gained increasing attention for the design of population-wide health interventions. The concept of nudge puts a label on efficacious influences that preserve freedom of choice without engaging the influencees’ deliberative capacities. Given disagreement over what it takes to genuinely preserve freedom of choice, the question is whether health influences relying on automatic cognitive processes may preserve freedom of choice in a sufficiently robust sense to be serviceable for the moral evaluation of actions and policies. In this article, I offer an argument to this effect, explicating preservation of freedom of choice in terms of choice-set preservation and substantial noncontrol. I also briefly explore the healthcare contexts in which nudges may have priority over more controlling influences. ""

Journal of Medical Ethics, 2013

In recent years, 'nudge' theory has gained increasing attention for the design of population-wide health interventions. The concept of nudge puts a label on efficacious influences that preserve freedom of choice without engaging the influencees' deliberative capacities. Given disagreements over what it takes genuinely to preserve freedom of choice, the question is whether health influences relying on automatic cognitive processes may preserve freedom of choice in a sufficiently robust sense to be serviceable for the moral evaluation of actions and policies. In this article, I offer an argument to this effect, explicating preservation of freedom of choice in terms of choice-set preservation and noncontrol. I also briefly explore the healthcare contexts in which nudges may have priority over more controlling influences.

Philosophy Compass

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