Adfærdsøkonomi

Abstract

In this project we will attempt to analyse and understand behavioral economics with focus on choice architecture and nudging used in the new rapport from the Commission of Unemployment Insurance from 2015. It is a new and interesting field because it challenges the old views on decision making processes and generates a whole new understanding of what humans really are like. Now politicians and economics are starting to open their eyes for the possibilities of choice architecture and nudging and therefore it is important to really understand the powers and flaws of behavioural economics. Our case is the recommendations from the Commission of Unemployment Insurance from 2015 which are based on behavioural economics. We base most of our theory on Cass R. Sunstein and Richard H. Thaler who are some of the most important researchers in the area of behavioural economics. We will furthermore discuss the ethical aspect of nudging from a utilitarian and deontological perspective and make an assessment of the term libertarian paternalism which is the theoretical foundation of behavioral economics and nudging. From our work we discussed the fact that the Commission of Unemployment could have build their rapport on the principle of utility and the ethics of this philosophy. We also found that there is inconsistency in the term libertarian paternalism.