Nudges for better voters

Abstract

The last decade has produced a large literature on the public policy implications of behavioural research. Policymakers, in turn, have increasingly relied on 'choice architecture' or 'nudges' to address some of the consequences of individuals' judgment and decisionmaking biases documented by that research. However, the possibilities for mitigating the effects of individuals' biases in the realm of collective choice have not yet been exhaustively explored. This article suggests possible applications of behavioural research to mitigate the negative effects of voters' judgment and decisionmaking biases on the quality of democratic choice.