Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Research Paper

First Advisor

Greg Woirol

Abstract

The selections of food is affecting the health of Americans and numerous fields are attempting to answer this issue that Americans face. Behavioral economics accounts for human behavior not represented in the theoretical framework of classical economic models. Although behavioral economics was established before 2002 it became popular when Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for connecting psychological research into economic science. After Kaufman won the award, behavioral economics began to grow rapidly in both private and public sector applications and has continued to develop into a larger field. The purpose of this study is to address the ways in which behavioral economics is being applied in order to address the current health concerns, specifically in the area of childhood health. This is being accomplished, for example, by redesigning school cafeterias to Nudge” students to make healthier food choices without forcing them to change their behaviors. The policy makers are also using behavioral economics in the form of MINDSPACE, which is aiding policy makers in making the needed improvements to current policies.

Comments

WSP Major: Behavioral Economics

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