No reason to expect large and consistent effects of nudge interventions

Szászi, Barnabás; Higney, Anthony; Charlton, Aaron; Gelman, Andrew; Ziano, Ignazio; Aczél, Balázs; Goldstein, Daniel G.; Yeager, David S.; Tipton, Elizabeth

doi:10.1073/pnas.2200732119

Cited by 73 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Further, in a comment(Szaszi et al, 2022), we pointed out that the initial meta-analysis of "nudge" effects by found that 95% of effects ranged from −0.92 to +1.08a tremendous amount of heterogeneity. Thus, the unexplained heterogeneity, not the average, was the heart of the story.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray

Chater¹,

Loewenstein²

2022

Behav Brain Sci

219

140

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An influential line of thinking in behavioral science, to which the two authors have long subscribed, is that many of society's most pressing problems can be addressed cheaply and effectively at the level of the individual, without modifying the system in which the individual operates. We now believe this was a mistake, along with, we suspect, many colleagues in both the academic and policy communities. Results from such interventions have been disappointingly modest. But more importantly, they have guided many (though by no means all) behavioral scientists to frame policy problems in individual, not systemic, terms: to adopt what we call the “i-frame,” rather than the “s-frame.” The difference may be more consequential than i-frame advocates have realized, by deflecting attention and support away from s-frame policies. Indeed, highlighting the i-frame is a long-established objective of corporate opponents of concerted systemic action such as regulation and taxation. We illustrate our argument briefly for six policy problems, and in depth with the examples of climate change, obesity, retirement savings, and pollution from plastic waste. We argue that the most important way in which behavioral scientists can contributed to public policy is by employing their skills to develop and implement value-creating system-level change.

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mentioning

confidence: 98%

The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray

Chater¹,

Loewenstein²

2022

Behav Brain Sci

219

140

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding contradicts the frequent presumption among psychologists that an average effect from a large sample or a meta‐analysis should be considered the “true” effect size which has been the basis for claims about the relative importance of different variables in education (Hattie, 2012; Macnamara, 2018). The striking heterogeneity even within the same study (Figure 12) reinforces statistical experts' best practice recommendations, which involve emphasizing the variation or heterogeneity of results, not the average, and refraining from all‐or‐nothing statements about the importance of effects based on an average (Bryan et al, 2021; Szaszi et al, 2022).…”

Section: How the Mindset × Context Perspective Informs Theory And Pol...mentioning

confidence: 58%

Mindset × Context: Schools, Classrooms, and the Unequal Translation of Expectations into Math Achievement

Carroll

Yeager

Buontempo

et al. 2023

Monographs Society Res Child

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When do adolescents' dreams of promising journeys through high school translate into academic success? This monograph reports the results of a collaborative effort among sociologists and psychologists to systematically examine the role of schools and classrooms in disrupting or facilitating the link between adolescents' expectations for success in math and their subsequent progress in the early high school math curriculum. Our primary focus was on gendered patterns of socioeconomic inequality in math and how they are tethered to the school's peer culture and to students' perceptions of gender stereotyping in the classroom.To do this, this monograph advances Mindset × Context Theory. This orients research on educational equity to the reciprocal influence between students' psychological motivations and their school-based opportunities to enact those motivations. Mindset × Context Theory predicts that a student's mindset will be more strongly linked to developmental outcomes among groups of students who are at risk for poor outcomes, but only in a school or classroom context where there is sufficient need and support for the mindset. Our application of this theory centers on expectations for success in high school math as a foundational belief for students' math progress early in high school. We examine how this mindset varies across interpersonal and cultural dynamics in schools and classrooms. Following this perspective, we ask:

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“…For instance, Jachimowicz et al (2019) showed that default nudges often work as intended. There are also critical voices regarding the claimed effectiveness of nudges (for instance, Szaszi et al, 2022). We can analyze whether newspapers see nudges as an effective tool for public policy.…”

Section: Ethics Effect and Support Of Nudgesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nudge in the news: Ethics, effects, and support of nudges

Tummers

2023

Public Administration Review

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Governments use nudges to stimulate citizens to exercise, save money and eat healthily. However, nudging is controversial. How the media frames nudge impacts decisions on whether to use this policy instrument. We, therefore, analyzed 443 newspaper articles about nudging. Overall, the media was positive about nudges. Nudging was viewed as an effective and efficient way to change behavior and received considerable support across the political spectrum. The media also noted that nudges were easy to implement. The controversy about nudges concerns themes like paternalism, fear of manipulation, small effect sizes, and unintended consequences. Academic proponents of nudging were actively involved in media debates, while critical voices were less often heard. There were some reports criticizing how the government used nudges. However, these were exceptions; the media often highlighted the benefits of nudging. Concluding, we show how nudging by governments was discussed in a critical institution: the news media.

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No reason to expect large and consistent effects of nudge interventions

Cited by 73 publications

References 9 publications

The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray

The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray

Mindset × Context: Schools, Classrooms, and the Unequal Translation of Expectations into Math Achievement

Nudge in the news: Ethics, effects, and support of nudges

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