The Emergence of Behavioural Policy-Making: A European Perspective

A. Alemanno and Anne-Lise Sibony, Nudge and the Law: A European Perspective, Hart Publishing, (2015).

HEC Paris Research Paper No. LAW-2015-1084

26 Pages Posted: 11 Feb 2015 Last revised: 11 Aug 2015

Date Written: February 16, 2015

Abstract

This chapter is the introduction to the book Nudge and the Law: A European Perspective. It sets the scene for an exploration of the legal implications of the emergent phenomenon of behaviourally informed intervention. More precisely, we focuses on the challenges and opportunities it may offer to the policymaking of the European Union. This dual focus on law and on Europe characterises our endeavour. We take as our starting point the current debate around "Nudging", which mainly comprises two strands of enquiry: when is it legitimate for States to use psychology to inform policy? (the legitimacy debate) and, to the extent that it is legitimate, how can behavioural insights in practice be incorporated into the decision making processes? (the practicability debate). We explain why a European perspective differs somewhat from a US American perspective and introduce the structure of the volume. The book contains contributions which analyse what behavioural insights might bring to EU law, both at a horizontal level and at a sectoral level. It endeavours to present existing research in a manner that is accessible both to EU law specialists who are not yet familiar with behavioural sciences and to behavioural lawyers who are not specialists in EU law.

Keywords: EU Law, behavioural sciences, nudges, regulation, libertarian paternalism, regulatory policy, policymaking, behavioural policy, impact assessment, randomized control trials

JEL Classification: I12, I28, J18, K00, K20, K23, K32, M00

Suggested Citation

Sibony, Anne-Lise and Alemanno, Alberto, The Emergence of Behavioural Policy-Making: A European Perspective (February 16, 2015). A. Alemanno and Anne-Lise Sibony, Nudge and the Law: A European Perspective, Hart Publishing, (2015)., HEC Paris Research Paper No. LAW-2015-1084, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2562322

Anne-Lise Sibony

UCLouvain ( email )

Place Montesquieu, 2
bte L2.07.01
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348
Belgium

HOME PAGE: http:// https://uclouvain.be/en/directories/anne-lise.sibony

KU Leuven ( email )

Oude Markt 13
Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant 3000
Belgium

Alberto Alemanno (Contact Author)

HEC Paris ( email )

1 Rue de la libération
JOUY EN JOSAS, 78351
France

HOME PAGE: http://www.albertoalemanno.eu

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