Libertarian paternalism and public policies: Intervention and transparency

Abstract

The article states the set of assumptions of Libertarian Paternalism, to discuss its theoretical limitations, and to evaluate its condition as a theoretical benchmark and element of public behavioral politics. The descriptive deductive approach was applied starting from the initial thoughts of Libertarian Paternalism, to form the conclusion about its general application in the public policies field. Therefore, justifications were presented to make libertarian paternalism a priority government discourse. This was only possible by deconstructing the primacy of economic rationality, that is, recognizing that individual preferences do not always lead people to improve their own conditions of material well-being. The article aims to demonstrate that Libertarian Paternalism can prove to be an important tool for the public policy maker, as long as considered the limits of the intervention option and the transparency instruments that enable citizens to understand that their behavior is being oriented by a determined public policy. In the end, it is expected that the present work will start a new stage in the national scientific debate, especially because three human sciences of fundamental importance, Law, Economics and Psychology, are united for the same purpose.