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Editor's note
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Governments around the world are increasingly using behavioral insights, rather than merely rigid laws, to prod citizens to make better choices. These “nudges” received more attention this week after economist Richard Thaler won a Nobel Prize for his work in behavioral economics. Research shows nudges are an effective way to improve eating habits or help people save money, but could they be seen as a form of manipulation? Cass Sunstein, Thaler’s co-author and a professor at Harvard, explains why most people disagree and welcome nudges that help
them live better lives.
When it comes to economic policy, the Trump administration is laser-focused on lifting regulations on industry, as we saw this week with its proposal to rescind the EPA Clean Power Plan. But regulations can actually benefit businesses and serve a public purpose, says University of Texas historian Jeremi Suri, who takes us from the time of the robber barons to today.
It’s been over week since Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 concertgoers from his Las Vegas hotel room, and investigators still can’t figure out his motive. What if there isn’t one, wonders University at Buffalo urban sociologist Mark Gottdiener. What if Paddock were simply a malignant outgrowth of a city with excessive indulgence in its DNA?
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Bryan Keogh
Editor, Economics and Business
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Top story
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A product’s calorie label is a common form of nudging behavior.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Cass Sunstein, Harvard University
Government initiatives to prod people to make better decisions got a lot of attention after Richard Thaler won a Nobel in economics for his working on nudging.
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Politics + Society
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Carlos A Suárez Carrasquillo, University of Florida
Puerto Rico has focused significant efforts on branding – but at what cost?
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Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong
A brigade of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala have interrupted their trek north to stay in Mexico and support earthquake recovery efforts.
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Economy + Business
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Patrick Rooney, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Taxing inherited wealth doesn't just generate revenue for the government. It encourages philanthropy.
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Kemper E. Lewis, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
If President Trump really wants to restore America's manufacturing might he should invest heavily in AI, the internet of things and other emerging technologies that are changing the world.
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Ethics + Religion
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Brad Christerson, Biola University; Richard Flory, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
A prayer rally recently organized in Washington, DC is part of a growing movement, that scholars call 'Independent Network Christianity.'
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Trending on site
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Jay L. Zagorsky, The Ohio State University
Richard Thaler won the 2017 Nobel Prize in economics for his groundbreaking work incorporating how humans actually behave into economic thinking.
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Robert S. Colter, University of Wyoming
On World Mental Health Day, a philosopher explains how to learn from the stoicism of Roman philosophers.
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Brian DeLay, University of California, Berkeley
While advocates of gun control may feel powerless in the wake of mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas, the history of government support for the industry shows Americans have more sway than they think.
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