Move Over Economists: We Need a Council of Psychological Advisers

Though President Obama won reelection decisively, he won’t have much time to celebrate. Many of the nation’s problems — stimulating employment, reducing the deficit, controlling health-care costs, and improving the quality of education — are very serious, and some of them must be addressed with great urgency.

And none of these problems can be addressed simply by waving a magic government wand. To a significant degree, they all involve understanding what motivates current practices — of business-people, financiers, doctors, patients, teachers, students — and what levers we may be able to use to change those practices. [cont.]

Barry Schwartz, Swarthmore (The Atlantic)

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