Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Council of Psychological Advisors

A recent paper by Cass Sunstein talks about the potential for a council of psychological advisors. The paper is mostly a wide-ranging discussion of the influence psychologists already have on policy and how this has been accelerated in recent years. It also has an Appendix with 31 different "nudges" that have been applied recently in policy.

For students here, it would be worth reading the paper with questions in mind such as:

a) What role do psychologists play in policy?

b) How has this changed with the development of behavioural economics?

c) What types of policies influenced by psychology have been particularly effective?

d) What ethical issues emerge in conducting field trials and designing policy based on psychological evidence?

e) What mechanisms should be developed to further expand the influence of psychology across different areas of public policy?

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