The Behavioral Welfare Paradox: Practical, Ethical and Welfare Implications of Nudging

Abstract

With decades of behavioral economic research now achieving prominence, the last decade has seen the advent of behavioral policymaking. These efforts have been widely seen as successful in that they achieve policy goals without inducing backlash on the part of policy targets. Behavioral policies create a unique challenge to welfare analysis that has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. The existence of behavioral effects creates a paradox, at once justifying the use of paternalistic policies and undermining the empirical foundations of welfare analysis. In this paper I explore the behavioral welfare paradox and its implications for economic policy prescription.