Form Matters: Informing Consumers Effectively

Abstract

This study examines what lessons can be learned from behavioural research for the form in which consumer information is being presented. The argument that this study makes is that the form in which information is presented and the effective communication of such information is at least as important as its content, and that this is an aspect that is still generally neglected in information and consumer law. The study is particularly interested in the potential of digital technologies in making consumer information more effective, and new approaches to form requirements in areas in which the importance of effective communication has already been acknowledged, such as in communications law. The study concludes with concrete suggestions for the future design of transparency requirements in information law and policy.

Keywords: Transparency, form requirements, behavioural studies, digital technologies, smart transparency

JEL Classification: K39