A Nudge in the Right Direction: Persuading People to Change

NudgesNudges refer to (public or private) subtle interventions that aim to suggest some course(s) of action to people and steer individual behaviour(s) towards an action whilst preserving personal choice. In this chapter then I examine the Dual-Process approach that makes a distinction between intuitive and deliberate judgements on how we react to nudges, and the key elements of a nudge that might influence our choices and judgements. It is acknowledged, though, that behavioural approaches are a supplement, part of the toolbox of approaches and not a substitute to traditional approaches in nudging healthcare/lifestyle choices. The same criticism is levelled at attempts, depending on the context, in trying to prevent corruption. Nudges are limited where we dismiss, reject and challenge 'suggestions' on how to behave and/or react to an issue.  Fatalism is put forward as a reason for the failure of some healthcare and anti-corruption initiatives as the personal, powerless circumstances of life in which (some of us) are placed impacts on our capacity and desire to confront healthcare/lifestyle choices and systemic healthcare corruption.