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Libertarian Quasi-Paternalism, Jacob Goldin
Libertarian Quasi-Paternalism, Jacob Goldin
Missouri Law Review
In many settings, people’s choices vary based on seemingly arbitrary features of the choice environment. Policies that manipulate these features to improve decision-makers’ well-being are paternalistic – unless one takes the unrealistic view that these features are relevant from the perspective of the choosers’ preferences. In such settings, I propose that policy design can be less paternalistic if the only people assumed to be making mistakes are those whose choices are observed to vary based on the arbitrary feature of the choice environment. I discuss several characteristics of such “quasi-paternalistic” policy design and conclude by applying the principle of quasi-paternalism …
Keynote: Forcing People To Choose Is Paternalistic, Cass R. Sunstein
Keynote: Forcing People To Choose Is Paternalistic, Cass R. Sunstein
Missouri Law Review
It can be paternalistic to force people to choose. Often people do not wish to choose, but both private and public institutions ask or force them to do so, thus overriding their wishes. As a result, people’s autonomy may be badly compromised and their welfare may be greatly reduced. These points have implications for a range of issues in law and policy, suggesting that those who favor active choosing, and insist on it, may well be overriding people’s preferences and values, and thus running afoul of John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle (for better or for worse). People have limited mental …