Operation Nudge: How Non-Sovereign Organizations Gain Quasi-Sovereign Powers To Solve Public Choice Problems

Authors

Kelly Grenier, Berea College

Abstract

Captain Crunch, Tony the Tiger, and Toucan Sam are watching you. Particularly, they are watching children. With their eyes gazing downward at a 9.6 degree angle, these characters make eye contact with individuals to encourage feelings of friendliness which will in turn increase the sales of the product. It is not that we are "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," but rather that we are being covertly nudged to buy these products (Musicus). Cereal companies are not the first to figure this out; we are nudged all day long. Our behaviors are encouraged and discouraged through choice architecture. We take the stairs over the elevator depending on its proximity, we continue to get mass emails because blocking them would require further action, and the list of daily nudges continues.

Recommended Citation

Grenier, Kelly (2015) "Operation Nudge: How Non-Sovereign Organizations Gain Quasi-Sovereign Powers To Solve Public Choice Problems," Commonwealth Review of Political Science: Vol. 3: No. 1, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61611/2994-0044.1022
Available at: https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/crps/vol3/iss1/8