Article by Nika Vanadze Introduction In theory, public policy should be a rational exercise: gather evidence, assess alternatives, and implement the most effective and equitable solution. In practice, however, policies are shaped by people, and people are not always rational. All humans are influenced by some sort of cognitive biases that will change their behaviour, […]
Category: Politics and Public Policy
The stories of corruption within democracies have millennia-old origins; just think of the Verrines or the trial against Catiline, cases that changed the sensibilities of the time regarding the morality underlying politics. The gradual expansion of suffrage, up to its universality, are recent and significant steps that have changed the needs of democratic countries. A […]
Over centuries, countries have adopted different strategies in terms of diplomacy. From the United States’ “hard boots” approach to soft diplomacy – nations have learned how to adapt in order to foster positive relationships and enhance their image on the global stage. Over the course of the past years, strategies have evolved to incorporate behavioral […]
Is inequality as high/low as you believe it to be? Are your perceptions biased in any way? Do you think your beliefs are based on real data or broad assumptions you formed? Actual levels of inequality and citizens’ (mis)perceptions of those levels often differ significantly. Individuals’ estimates are consistently much lower than the actual level […]
Governments have always had a critical role in managing the chances of adverse outcomes on behalf of the public, relying on regulation to protect citizens from social, environmental, and economic risks. Being risk analysis a political as well as a scientific enterprise, the public perception of risk greatly affects risk management and assessment by public […]
One of the most pivotal changes that unfolded during the past three decades was the reach of markets and market values into spheres of life traditionally held sway over by nonmarket norms. Healthcare, education, public safety, and environmental protection are some examples of the sectors where the use of market logic was for the most […]
Media, all sorts of it, is full of biases. Many, we notice on a daily basis, yet others are rather more subtle. The recent outbreak of events on the Ukranian border, however, has brought a concerning number of those biases to light. It is concerning because of the ramifications on a worldwide scale. What biases […]
Thousands of years ago, human beings transcended the overwhelming wrath of nature, proceeded to overcome tribal wars amongst each other (kind of), and now live in a state of chaotic harmony across the planet. However, by our own hands, the conflict with nature has once again ensued—this time on a world stage. Climate change is […]
The behavioral tool of nudging is becoming extremely popular among policymakers as a new powerful instrument to alter people’s behavior in a predictable way, without however the need to restrain the set of options of actors or significantly changing their economic incentives. However, with the advent of social media and the huge and unprecedented quantity of data potentially collectible from online platforms, society is now faced with an ethical question on nudging techniques and their possible harmful […]
Many problems require more than one solution. The scientific consensus is that climate change is a very real and urgent problem, and its consequences will be dire if nothing is done about it. In this article, I will share an overview of the implications governments have to face regarding environmental policy design, with a specific […]
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