Nudge
Thaler and Sunstein develop libertarian paternalism as a middle path between command-and-control and strict-neutrality choice architectures. Libertarian paternalism protects humans against their damaging psychological traits (inertia, bounded rationality, undue influence) by exploiting those habits to nudge people into making better choices.
Where Nudge keeps showing up
Eight of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Books in conversation with Nudge
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Nudge
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
An economist and a legal scholar argue that the way choices are framed, the order on the menu, the default in the form, the placement of the apples, quietly steers most decisions, and offer a framework for nudging well.
Yes. Nudge popularizes behavioral economics research, much of it Thaler's own work that won him the 2017 Nobel Prize. The 2021 Final Edition addresses replication concerns and updates examples that did not hold up.
Nudge was written by Richard Thaler, published in 2008 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Nudge is 312 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Nudge takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Nudge is a standalone novel by Richard Thaler, not part of a series.
Nudge is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
