The Political Economy of Nudge 1 Oscar H. Gandy, Jr. Selena Nemorin University of Pennsylvania London School of Economics
[email protected] [email protected] Neuroeconomics, Behavioral Economics and The Political Economy of Nudge The Political Economy Section Submission No. 14366 Paper presented at the IAMCR 2017 Conference in Cartagena, Columbia, July, 16-20, 2017. The Political Economy of Nudge 2 ABSTRACT Neuroeconomics, Behavioral Economics and the Political Economy of Nudge Transformations in the strategies and techniques of governmentality have been implemented around the globe through different versions of behavioral interventions being characterized as “nudges.” Although the variety of areas in which the structuration of this so-called “libertarian paternalism” will occur is considerable, this paper will focus on the implementation of these practices within geopolitical areas being referred to as “smart cities.” Informed by earlier assessments of technologically based theories of communication and social change by Preston, this paper will briefly examine the relationships between technological advances in neuroscience associated with increasingly sophisticated brain scanning technology. It will then examine the impact of these and related technological developments on neuroeconomics and behavioral economics as foundational contributions to the governance of smart cities. Because of the resonance between these developments and transformations in several areas of governmentality explored by Foucault in the 1970s, and by an increasing number of theorists of late, this paper sets out a program of research and policy analysis organized through the political economy of communications framework laid out by Mosco. Through an emphasis on the contributions to behavioral economics made by Thaler and Sunstein, smart city governance will be identified and assessed in terms of the processes of Commodification, Spatialization and Structuration as defined by Mosco.