Nudges jako narzędzia behawioralnej polityki publicznej i ich akceptowanie w Polsce

Abstract

Behavioural sciences (including behavioural economics) offer broad knowledge (so-called behavioural insights), supported by numerous experiments and scientific evidence, of the reasons behind and manifestations of bounded rationality of decision makers. Research results in these sciences have influenced the traditional understanding of the decision making processes and patterns, behaviour of markets and public policy making. Researchers and public institutions across the world believe that better understanding of human behaviours can contribute to improvement in every stage of public policy making and implementa- tion. Policy makers refer to research studies within behavioural sciences in their attempts to understand why people behave in a certain way and use these behavioural insights to design, test and implement behavioural solutions to political issues. This knowledge has allowed development and tests of new instruments which are employed by the so-called behavioural public policy, with the nudge, the foundation of the choice architecture, being one of them. The nudge is regarded as a simple and cheap instrument offering freedom of choice, and is used globally by public bodies to mitigate various problems where the tradi- tional policy instruments seem to fail. The book presents the essence of the nudge, placing this instrument in the broader context of the origins and development of behavioural public policy and its strategies. Since it is always the response and reactions of the society members that determine the effectiveness of public policy, the empirical part of the book presents a description and analysis of the results of the author’s own research studies carried out in Poland and focusing on the citizens’ support for these instruments of behavioural public policy. The study was carried out on a representative sample, with the following predictors of support for the nudge: socio-demographic and geographic attributes of individuals and their households, political preferences and views among the Poles and their perception of objectives of individual nudges as well as measures to achieve them. The book can be used for many purposes, not only educational. The results can also prove helpful for public policy makers and experts of the choice architecture supporting them. The latter group provides the decision makers who consider using the nudge in their polit- ical toolkit with relevant information on the popularity of these tools among the Poles, which may influence both a wider use and limitation of employment of these instruments in the practice of policy making in Poland.