It was only natural that Barack Obama and David Cameron should have read Nudge and loved it. What could be more alluring to a politician than a book full of recipes for turning sceptical voters into allies?
巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)和戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)读过《轻推》(Nudge)并且对它爱不释手，是再正常不过的事情。《轻推》罗列了将满腹怀疑的选民变成盟友的窍门——还有什么能比这本书更让政客垂涎三尺的？
Published in 2008 by economist Richard Thaler and law professor Cass Sunstein, Nudge used the insights of behavioural economics about how unreliable and irrational people’s choices are. It suggested ways to coax people into doing what was best for them – displaying bananas more prominently than biscuits in school cafeterias, say. “Choice architecture” was a hit. The US president hired Prof Sunstein, his old friend, as a senior regulatory adviser for a time. The UK prime minister fell hard for the concept, consulting Prof Thaler and setting up a Behavioural Insights Team.
经济学家理查德•塞勒(Richard Thaler)和法学教授凯斯•桑斯坦(Cass Sunstein)合著的《轻推》出版于2008年，它运用行为经济学的洞见，展现出人们的选择是多么不可靠和不理性。书中提议了一些方法，“哄劝”人们做出对自己有益的事情——例如，将香蕉而不是饼干摆在学校食堂的显要位置。“选择架构”(choice architecture)的说法风靡起来。奥巴马一度聘请老友桑斯坦教授为高级监管顾问。英国首相卡梅伦也倾心于这一概念，他向塞勒咨询，并成立“行为研究小组”(Behavioural Insights Team)。
But this system of “libertarian paternalism” is ambiguous, and its record mixed. Maybe its libertarianism part will rally the public behind a new vision of 21st-century government. Maybe its paternalism will strike its target audience as not just bossy but sneaky, too. US state schools, at the instigation of the federal government and with the blessing of Michelle Obama, are offering healthier lunches, but the kids cannot stand them. Bureaucrats recently beat a humiliating retreat back to peanut butter sandwiches. In Britain, the “Nudge Unit” has solicited organ donors at driving licence renewal time. But much of its work involves new ways to shake people down. When a request for unpaid car taxes is accompanied by a photo of the car, delinquents snap to attention.
但这种“自由意志家长制”涵义模糊，作用好坏参半。或许它的自由意志一面能动员公众支持一种21世纪政府的新愿景。但是，或许它的家长制一面也给目标群体造成不仅专横而且猥琐的印象。美国公立学校在联邦政府的怂恿下和米歇尔•奥巴马(Michelle Obama)的鼓励下提供更健康的午餐，但孩子们难以下咽。于是官僚机构最近难堪地后退，恢复提供花生酱三明治。在英国，“轻推小组”（即上述行为研究小组——译者注）利用更换驾照的时机，怂恿申请人死后捐献器官。但小组的工作有很多涉及利用新方法唬住人们，让他们乖乖交钱。比如，要求车主缴纳拖欠车税的通知单附上一张欠税汽车的照片，欠税者就会老实照办。