Another problem with the new paternalism is that it necessarily involves greater deference to the authority of experts. Here is the basic logic (p. 710): Substantial deference to authority is inherent in the application of new paternalist ideas to ...
New paternalists have also relied on the notion of context dependence to justify their policies. But as with hyperbolic discounting, they unjustifiably assume the existence of an inconsistency of preferences gives the policymaker license to choose ...
New paternalists often rely on the phenomenon of “hyperbolic discounting” to justify their policies. Hyperbolic discounting is difficult to define in a non-mathematical way. It is sometimes summarized as excessive impatience, but that’s an ...
A key conclusion of the literature on slippery slopes is that they are especially likely in the presence of gradients -- meaning situations in which there is a relatively smooth continuum from one policy to another, and in which it is difficult to draw ...
Mario Rizzo and I have just published a new article, "Little Brother Is Watching You: New Paternalism on the Slippery Slopes," in Arizona Law Review. You can find the full text here. Regular readers (if I still have any) will know I've written a great ...
If you've walked into a Halloween store recently, you've probably been treated to a soundtrack of what seem to be classic haunting favorites, like "Thriller" and "Ghostbusters" and "Weird Science." But if you listen closely, you will realize the ...
On Thursday I attended a seminar at the FBI for film and TV writers. There was lots of useful information, but what I found most interesting was the FBI agents' use of language. Specifically, I noticed that they regularly used the word 'forfeit' as a ...
According to a recent L.A. Times Science article, there’s new evidence that a calorie-deprived diet, with 10% to 30% fewer calories than the usual recommended intake, leads to better health and longer life. The evidence comes from a study of rhesus ...
In the comments section of Russell Roberts’s link to my previous post, “Charlie” makes some thoughtful points. I was going to respond in the comments there, but then decided a new post would be worthwhile. Charlie begins: Libertarian paternalism seems ...
So what does it take to get me to blog these days? Having an opinion is no longer enough. Apparently I have to be actively irritated. Richard Thaler is the newest contributor to the NY Times’ Economic View, where in his first column he uses behavioral ...
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