Judgments, Decisions, and Public Policy

This 2001 volume showcases the research of leading scholars working on applications of behavioral decision theory.

Rajeev Gowda (Edited by), Jeffrey C. Fox (Edited by)

9780521179959, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 February 2011

386 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.57 kg

Review of the hardback: '… a useful and stimulating addition to the Cambridge series. It illustrates well the breadth of areas where behavioural decision theory can inform our understanding of the patterns of behaviour and response we encounter. It identifies the fact that we are at the stage where we are becoming only too uncomfortably aware of the magnitude and diversity of the challenges - but where, as yet, we have only reached a limited understanding of how to take proper account of them in the formulation and implementation of public policy.' Journal of Risk Research

Behavioral decision theory draws on experimental research in cognitive psychology to provide a descriptively accurate model of human behavior. It shows that people systematically violate the normative assumptions of economic rationality by miscalculating probabilities and making choices based on one-economic criteria. Behavioral decision theory's ability to capture the complexity of human judgments and choices makes it a useful foundation for improving public policy analysis, design, and implementation. Originally published in 2001, this volume showcases the research of leading scholars who are working on applications of behavioral decision theory in diverse policy settings. It is designed to give policy analysts and practitioners who are non-psychologists a clearer understanding of the complexities of human judgment and choice, and suggest how to integrate behavioral decision theoretic insights into the policy sciences. This interdisciplinary volume should be insightful and useful wherever people's judgments and choices matter for policy formulation, acceptance, and effectiveness.

Part I. The Fundamentals of Behavioral Decision Theory: 1. Judgment and decision making: extrapolations and applications Chris Swoyer
2. Some morals of a theory of non-rational choice Douglas MacLean
3. Cognition, intuition, and policy guidelines Eldar Shafir
Part II. Economic Applications and Contrasts: 4. Policy analysis and design with losses valued more than gains, and varying rates of time preference Jack L. Knetsch
5. Comparing micro and macro rationality Robert J. MacCoun
6. Bounded rationality versus standard utility-maximization: a test of energy 'price' responsiveness Lee S. Friedman
Part III. Applications to Political and Legal Processes and Institutions: 7. Judgmental heuristics and news reporting Sharon Dunwoody and Robert J. Griffin
8. A behavioral approach to political advertising research Jeffrey C. Fox and Rick Farmer
9. Toward behavioral law and economics Cass R. Sunstein
Part IV. Other Policy Applications: 10. Enhancing the effectiveness of innovative policy instruments: the implications of behavioral decision theory for right-to-know policies Rajeev Gowda
11. Behavioral perceptions and policies toward the environment Anthony Patt and Richard J. Zeckhauser
12. The affect heuristic: implications for understanding and managing risk-induced stigma Howard Kunreuther and Paul Slovic
13. Enlarging the pie by accepting small losses for large gains Jonathan Baron and Max H. Bazerman
Part V. Commentary and Cautionary Note: 14. The virtues of cognitive humility: for us as well as them Philip E. Tetlock.

Subject Areas: Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR]