Public health nudges: weighing individual liberty and population health benefits
Derek Soled
Abstract
-that is, steering individual decision-making while preserving freedom of choice. In medicine, libertarian paternalism has gained widespread attention, specifically with respect to interventions designed to promote healthy behaviours. Some scholars argue that nudges appropriately balance autonomy and paternalistic beneficence, while others argue that nudges inherently exploit cognitive weaknesses. This paper further explores the ethics of libertarian paternalism in public health. The use of nudges may infringe on an individual's voluntary choice, autonomy and informed consent, but they are ethically justified when there is a clear public health benefit to the manipulation of choice.
Topics & Concepts
Nudge theoryPaternalismBeneficenceAutonomyChoice architectureFreedom of choicePublic healthLaw and economicsPsychologySocial psychologySociologyPolitical scienceLawMedicineNursingHealthcare cost, quality, practicesPublic Health Policies and EducationHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life