What Motivates Paternalism? An Experimental Study
Winner of the Exeter Prize 2022 for the best paper published in the previous calendar year in a peer-reviewed journal in the fields of Experimental Economics, Decision Theory and Behavioural Economics.
Abstract
We study experimentally when, why, and how people intervene in others' choices. Choice Architects construct opportunity sets containing bundles of time-indexed payments for Choosers. Choice Architects frequently prevent impatient choices despite opportunities to provide advice, believing Choosers benefit. They violate common behavioral welfare criteria by removing impatient options even when all payoffs are delayed.
Choice Architects intervene not by removing options they wish they could resist when choosing for themselves (mistakes-projective paternalism), but rather as if they seek to align others' choices with their own aspirations (ideals-projective paternalism). Laboratory choices predict subjects' support for actual paternalistic policies.
Materials
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