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By broadening disciplinary perspectives to architecture and design, philosophy of science, and systems biology, this paper aims to explore the interconnections between built, social, biotic, and health processes with key attention to the moderating roles of the built environment. The focus is part diagnostic and part prescriptive. Initially, we specify failures in COVID-19 representational infrastructure and practice in accounting for built environment and social process impacts on public health factors. By presenting three intertwined problems with scientific representation in COVID-19 modeling and data-gathering, we examine to what extent current scientific practices fail to robustly account for the complex intersections between built, biotic, social, and health processes. We suggest that resolving the presented problems requires the development of new conceptual precedents for the analysis of causal relations in changing contexts. The second focal point is prescriptive. By discussing conceptual developments that spotlight relations—e.g., 'context', 'nudge', 'affordance', and 'interface'—we organize the numerous moderating roles of built environment contexts, and we suggest practical applications to ongoing public health practices—such as, cautioning against nudge policies. Ultimately, we argue that the built environment can be represented not only as a single variable (or handful of discrete variables) but also as an interface that reorganizes multiple causal landscapes—concurrently, deregulating factors and leaving others unaffected. Because of the difficulty of representing emergent properties, relevant to differential built environment burden and inequitable health outcomes, we provide ways to visualize the built environment as interface in multidimensional form. We conclude that adequately representing the various moderating roles of the built environment goes a step beyond how to represent complexity, and it requires asking a deeper normative question: who ought to be involved in representing complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests whether visual nudges help direct attention towards existing instructions designed to increase waste sorting accuracy. The study was conducted in a quasi-experimental setting over a period of 9 weeks in two buildings of a large UK university campus. Two treatments on recycling behaviour were tested against a control group: one considered the impact of visual nudges in the form of human eyes; the other one combined human eye with pre-existing sorting instructions. Results show that for mixed recycling the combination of visual and information nudges decreased sorting errors by 7 percentage points. In contrast, visual nudges alone increased sorting errors by 4.5 percentage points. These findings indicate that, when combined, information and a visual nudge are cost-effective tools to significantly improve waste sorting behaviour. This paper adds to existing experimental evidence based on neuroscientific theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the substantial personal and economic implications of end-of-life decisions, many individuals fail to document their wishes, which often leads to patient dissatisfaction and unnecessary medical spending. We conducted a randomized trial of 1,200 patients aged 55 years and older to facilitate advance directive (AD) completion and better understand why patients fail to engage in high-value planning. We found that including a physical AD form with paper letters as a nudge to decrease hassle costs increased AD completion by 9.0 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI] = [4.2, 13.9] percentage points). The intervention was especially effective for individuals aged 70 years and older, as AD completion increased by 17.5 percentage points (95% CI = [5.7, 9.4] percentage points). When compared with the impact of costless electronic reminders, each additional AD completion from the letter interventions costs as little as US$37. Our findings suggest that simple, inexpensive interventions with paper communication as behavioral nudges can be effective, especially in older populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers Sino-Uzbek relations by critically assessing the positivist depictions of CA states in their relations with larger countries like China. It uses the post-positivist and constructivist framework and adaptations made from the four-factor analysis framework adopted in the case of Uzbekistan to demonstrate avenues in which Uzbekistan demonstrates active agency in relations with China. This paper argues that Uzbekistan and other CA states utilize nudging strategies which refer to a subtle and often indirect way of encouraging or guiding China's behavior in a particular direction as opposed to so-called "nagging" which associates with persistent and repetitive pressuring China to perform a certain function. Accordingly, Uzbekistan's approach to China can be described as the nudging strategy of designing the environment or context which makes China's choices in its relations with Uzbekistan easier and more attractive in favor of policy decisions desired by the Uzbek government. As is depicted in the narrative of cooperation road maps, Uzbekistan's approach involved both indirect signaling of certain policy preferences, choice-preserving (involving diversification of foreign partners), and positive reinforcement (through various policy incentives). This contrasts the persistent and repetitive pressuring, criticism, threats, or guilt-tripping, seen in relations between China and other Western states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovations in transportation and communications technologies influence the development of cities and how people move through them. Since the widespread adoption of smartphones, mobility and information and communication technology (ICT) have become increasingly interconnected, and there may be a possibility for mobile technologies to nudge, or influence, individuals to travel using sustainable, and collective modes. It remains unclear whether social, financial, or ICT incentives would be effective to nudge the use of sustainable modes. The objective of the study is to understand the reasons affecting modal choices and how the use of ICTs and personal opinions and attitudes influence the decision-making process. A discrete choice model is used to consider five transportation alternatives including three single modes, namely bicycle, transit, and car, and two multimodal possibilities, bicycle and transit as well as park and ride (car and transit). The target population for this study are Utrecht University employees, who travel to a large university campus located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The results of the person-based mode-choice model demonstrate that strong correlations exist between the kinds of mobile applications individuals use, their attitudes towards travel, their personal characteristics and their transportation mode. No mobile application seems to favor the use of active modes, which cast doubts upon the use of ICT to promote sustainable transportation. However, social incentives may play an important role for certain groups as individuals who are influenced by their friends, family, and colleagues, are less likely to travel by car or to use park & ride facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using tools like machine learning algorithms, digital platforms raise new challenges to our understanding of control-governance dynamics in organisations. In this paper, we explore a unique governance mechanism; nudging – i.e. liberty-preserving approaches that steer people in particular directions – and provide exploratory findings that extend prior research in behavioural economics and organisational control-governance dynamics towards platform markets. We surveyed 166 Uber drivers to explicate the workings and effects of Uber's good (i.e. transparent and easy to opt-out) and evil (i.e. obscure and misleading) nudges. Our findings suggest that while drivers are more satisfied with good nudges, these nudges do not make them more productive (i.e. increase their earnings-per-hour). Evil nudges, on the other hand, seem to have no effect on driver productivity. With experience, drivers learn to respond less to nudges (as they may realise that Uber's nudges do not seem to increase their productivity). We extend the platform governance literature by highlighting whether and when nudges could influence drivers by creating false expectations. Our exploratory approach highlights new possible boundary conditions for the traditional theories, for example, Herzberg's hygiene-motivation theory that, while differentiating hygiene factors from motivating factors, do not have the level of specificity to show the effects we discover here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has wreaked social and economic havoc across the globe. This article addresses an aspect of trust that has not received wide attention in the context of the pandemic: how relational trust can affect compliance behaviour with health campaigns. This article uses a unique dataset of people receiving a COVID test after suspicion of infection. We use regression analysis to study the relation between compliance with mobility restrictions and institutional and relational trust. We find that trusting that close relations will be there for you in the case of falling ill is associated with a significant increase in the probability of complying with health campaigns as is trust that public institutions will respond appropriately to the pandemic. Additionally, we find no statistical relationship between compliance and trust in media outlets nor compliance and trust that community members (neighbours, co‐workers or others) will care for you. The findings suggest that enhancing trust may improve compliance with mobility restrictions, however, increasing trust in specific groups may not aid in the effectiveness of some health campaigns. Importantly, nudging people towards compliance could be achieved by emphasising in campaigns that your behaviour could influence the health of those who you care about. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problems of gaming behaviour as expressed in untruthful reporting, manipulation of data and performance measures, and distortion of information. We apply game-theoretical principal-agent reasoning that refers to the marginal costs and benefits of gaming and oversight, pointing to policy measures for ensuring more effort exerted in productive activity rather than in gaming activity. These measures are the regulatory monitoring of agents' activities rather than the control and supervision of them. We base our suggestions on behavioural economics and nudge research. Regulatory monitoring mechanisms are transparent and 'soft', so they moderate the adversarial nature of principal-agent relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influenza vaccines have been demonstrated to effectively reduce the incidence of influenza infection and potentially associated risks of cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite strong guideline and public health endorsements, global influenza vaccination rates in patients with CVD are highly variable. This prespecified analysis of NUDGE-FLU (Nationwide Utilization of Danish Government Electronic Letter System for Increasing Influenza Vaccine Uptake) examined the effect of digital behavioral nudges on influenza vaccine uptake based on the presence of CVD. Methods: NUDGE-FLU was a randomized, pragmatic, nationwide, register-based trial that included Danish citizens 65 years of age or older during the 2022 to 2023 influenza season. Households were randomized in a 9:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1 ratio to usual care or 9 electronic letters with designs based on behavioral concepts. Danish nationwide registers were used to collect baseline and outcome data. The primary end point was receipt of an influenza vaccine on or before January 1, 2023. The effects of the intervention letters were examined according to the presence of CVD and across cardiovascular subgroups that included heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and atrial fibrillation. Results: Of 964 870 NUDGE-FLU participants from 691 820 households, 264 392 (27.4%) had CVD. During follow-up, 83.1% of participants with CVD versus 79.2% of participants without CVD received an influenza vaccination (P <0.001). Compared with usual care, a letter emphasizing the potential cardiovascular benefits of influenza vaccination increased vaccination rates; this effect was consistent in participants with CVD (absolute difference, +0.60 percentage points [99.55% CI, –0.48 to 1.68]) and without CVD (+0.98 percentage points [99.55% CI, 0.27–1.70; P for interaction=0.41). A repeated letter strategy with a reminder follow-up letter 14 days later was also effective in increasing influenza vaccination, irrespective of CVD (CVD: absolute difference, +0.80 percentage points [99.55% CI, –0.27 to 1.86]; no CVD: +0.67 percentage points [99.55% CI, –0.06 to 1.40]; P for interaction=0.77). Effectiveness of both nudging strategies was consistent across all major CVD subgroups. None of the other 7 nudging strategies were effective, regardless of CVD status. Conclusions: Electronic letter interventions emphasizing the potential cardiovascular benefits of influenza vaccination and using a reminder letter strategy were similarly beneficial in increasing influenza vaccination rates among older adults with and without CVD and across cardiovascular subgroups. Electronic nudges may improve influenza vaccine uptake in individuals with CVD. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05542004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we systematically review the literature on the ethics of nudging. Since the publication of the book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in 2008, a rich literature has been developed on the question whether it is ethical to nudge people. This is an important area for research as nudges are commonly used by governments and private corporations to alter the behaviour of citizens and consumers. In order to gain a complete overview of this literature, we conduct a systematic search of academic sources. We investigate which ethical issues with nudging are discussed. We find four major ethical issues, namely worries regarding 1) autonomy, 2) welfare, 3) long-term adverse effects, and 4) democracy and deliberation. We discuss each ethical issue by highlighting how it is defined, what the critique constitutes, what its sub-issues are, and which defences of nudging have been argued for. In this way, the systematic literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on the ethics of nudging to date. The results of our systematic review contribute to a better understanding of the ethical issues with nudging, as well as of the current state of the literature on these topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has revealed that the diffusion of misinformation online can be attributed to inaccuracies in human cognitive reasoning. We examine the nudging effect of Accuracy Alerts on users' ability to discern misinformation and how their trust moderates this effect. The results from a 2 (accuracy nudge: with nudge vs. no nudge) × 2 (news source type: algorithmic news vs. legacy non-algorithmic news) experiment showed significant main and interaction effects indicating that an algorithmic source effect is present in the process of nudge acceptance. Misinformation sharing intention was largely lower for legacy non-algorithmic news than algorithmic news, but there was a greater decrease in algorithmic news when nudging was employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In much of the developing world, cooking accounts for the largest share of women's time in home production. Does relying on solid fuels drive this time burden? This study revisits a clean energy information experiment in rural India to assess the time savings' potential of cleaner cooking technologies. Treatment villages were randomly assigned to receive information about negative health effects of cooking with solid fuels and about public subsidies for cleaner liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Time-use data indicate that primary cooks spend almost 24 hours cooking each week. Cleaner fuel use is correlated with about 140 minutes less cooking time each week. Yet households only reduce their weekly cooking time by about 35 minutes in response to the randomized clean energy information nudge. Factors limiting the impact of clean energy nudges on the choice of home production technologies and time use are discussed and an avenue for future research is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica is the property of Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Application Business & Management / Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis dan Manajemen is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Healthcare providers have long grappled with patients not showing up for their scheduled medical appointments; such no-shows lead to wasted resources and longer wait times for other patients. However, new operations research offers a promising solution to this problem. The study finds that using text message reminders that include an additional line of text indicating a potentially long wait for the next available appointment can significantly reduce no-shows by a factor of 28.6%. The intervention, called waits framing, was found to be more effective among patients who were more sensitive to wait times and when the information in the message was novel and credible. The study also uncovered the mechanism underlying the intervention. Specifically, the waits framing messages increased the perceived cost of missing an appointment, leading to a reduction in queue abandonment. This study provides insights into how behavioral science can improve service operations and help tackle challenges in healthcare delivery. Patient no-shows for scheduled medical appointments are of great concern for many healthcare providers. In this paper, we tackle the no-show problem by applying insights from behavioral science. Specifically, we "nudge" patients into arriving for their scheduled appointment using text reminders of their upcoming visit. We conduct a field experiment at an outpatient specialty clinic, where we add to the standard message an additional line of text that indicates a potentially long wait for the next available appointment (we call this intervention "waits framing"). Based on a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find that waits framing messaging significantly reduces no-shows by a factor of 28.6%. We also find heterogeneous patient responses to the nudge. First, the increased salience of waiting time is more effective in reducing no-shows among patients who are more sensitive to wait. In addition, the effectiveness of our nudge also depends on the novelty and credibility of the information in the message. For example, the waits framing effect is stronger when the patient is less familiar with the provider (i.e., the information is new), and if the scheduled provider is in higher demand (i.e., the information is credible). In a laboratory experiment, we uncover the mechanism that underlies the nudge—waits framing serves to increase the perceived cost of missing an appointment. Through the combination of field and designed laboratory studies, we provide both external and internal validity to the effects of waits framing. Our results have implications at the system level; the message framing leads to a significant improvement in capacity utilization and patient throughput. These findings contribute to the literature on behavioral queuing by showing that through appropriately framed messages, queue operators can influence the waiting cost perceptions of individuals and thereby engender a desired queuing response such as a reduction in queue abandonment. History: This paper has been accepted for the Operations Research Special Issue on Behavioral Queueing Science. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2023.2444. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although considerable evidence shows that online product reviews (OPRs) can greatly affect consumers, how interface designs of OPR systems (i.e. websites where consumers read and write OPRs) impact online buying behavior has not yet been well investigated. Using research on confidence in judgment and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, this study aims to develop a model of the effects of OPR system design on consumer purchase behavior. Design/methodology/approach: A study using a two by two by two factorial experimental design was conducted. The structural model with AMOS 23 based on 319 useable data points was tested. Findings: Findings are very interesting. First, designs that manipulate positions of reviews impact perceived value but surprisingly have no effects on confidence in judgment. Second, designs using default display order based on helpfulness votes rather than on recency of reviews increase confidence to a higher level. Third, although unstructured organization methods are used by many major OPR systems, they are inferior in enhancing consumers' emotional reactions to structured ones. Research limitations/implications: This paper highlights the need for more academic research on how interface designs of online product review systems impact purchase behavior. Additionally, this study emphasizes the need for examining how confidence in judgment is impacted in the online environment. Practical implications: For practitioners, this research provides them with design implications on how to increase consumer purchase behavior. Originality/value: This research enhances the understanding of the effects of OPR system interface design on purchase behavior. In addition, the current paper sheds light on how confidence in judgment, given its importance in reducing online consumer's hesitance to buy, is impacted by various interface designs of OPR systems. Furthermore, this study applies the SOR framework to the context of OPR system designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, governments and organizations around the world have established behavioral insights teams advocating for randomized experiments. However, recent findings by M. N. Meyer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 10723–10728 (2019) and P. R. Heck, C. F. Chabris, D. J. Watts, M. N. Meyer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 18948–18950 (2020) suggest that people often rate randomized experiments as less appropriate than the policies they contain even when approving the implementation of either policy untested and when none of the individual policies is clearly superior. The authors warn that this could cause policymakers to avoid running large-scale field experiments or being transparent about running them and might contribute to an adverse heterogeneity bias in terms of who is participating in experiments. In one direct and six conceptual preregistered replications (total N = 5,200) of the previously published larger-effect studies, using the same main dependent variable but with variations in scenario wordings, recruitment platforms, and countries, and the addition of further measures to assess people’s views, we test the generalizability and robustness of these findings. Together, we find that the original results do not appear to generalize. That is, our triangulation reveals insufficient evidence to conclude that people exhibit a common pattern of behavior that would be consistent with relative experiment aversion, thereby supporting recent findings by R. Mislavsky, B. Dietvorst, U. Simonsohn, Mark. Sci. 39, 1092–1104 (2020). Thus, policymakers may not need to be concerned about employing evidence-based practices more so than about universally implementing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe hand wash behaviour is a target to be achieved under Sustainable Development Goal 6.2 by 2030. Safe hand washing can prevent many infections and hence it is the least expensive preventive healthcare intervention. Insufficient hand hygiene can cause different infections like diarrhea. In India diarrhea causes 10.65% deaths every year. Hand hygiene should be maintained at least after defecation and before eating. With an increase in the safe defecation and access to toilets, it is expected that the hand wash with soap and water should be increased. However, 75% of Indian households follow safe hand wash behaviour after defecation but just 40% of households follow safe hand wash behaviour before eating. The present paper is focused to analyze the impact of hand hygiene before eating and occurrence of diarrhea. Technological intervention can bring the positive behaviour change for hand washing before eating particularly at workplaces/hospitals/ food courts. The overall behaviour can be positively changed with nudging through media campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to improve the value of citizen science data for a specific aim is through promoting adaptive sampling, where the marginal value of a citizen science observation is dependent on existing data collected to address a specific question. Adaptive sampling could increase sampling at places or times—using a dynamic and updateable framework—where data are expected to be most informative for a given ecological question or conservation goal. We used an experimental approach to test whether the participants in a popular Australian citizen science project—FrogID—would follow an adaptive sampling protocol aiming to maximize understanding of frog diversity. After a year, our results demonstrated that these citizen science participants were willing to adopt an adaptive sampling protocol, improving the sampling of biodiversity consistent with a specific aim. Such adaptive sampling can increase the value of citizen science data for biodiversity research and open up new avenues for citizen science project design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza vaccination rates remain suboptimal despite effectiveness in preventing influenza infection and related complications. We investigated whether behavioural nudges, delivered via a governmental electronic letter system, would increase influenza vaccination uptake among older adults in Denmark. We did a nationwide, pragmatic, registry-based, cluster-randomised implementation trial during the 2022–23 influenza season in Denmark. All Danish citizens aged 65 years or older or turning 65 years by Jan 15, 2023 were included. We excluded individuals living in nursing homes and individuals who had an exemption from the Danish mandatory governmental electronic letter system. Households were randomly assigned (9:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1) to usual care or nine different electronic letters designed on the basis of different behavioural nudging concepts. Data were sourced from nationwide Danish administrative health registries. The primary endpoint was receipt of influenza vaccination on or before Jan 1, 2023. The primary analysis assessed an analytical set of one randomly selected individual per household, and a sensitivity analysis included all randomly assigned individuals and accounted for within-household correlation. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05542004. We identified 1 232 938 individuals aged 65 years or older in Denmark and excluded 56 436 (4·6%) individuals living in nursing homes and 211 632 (17·2%) with an exemption from the electronic letter system. We randomly assigned 964 870 (78·3%) participants across 691 820 households. Compared with usual care, influenza vaccination rates were higher in the group receiving an electronic letter highlighting potential cardiovascular benefits of vaccination (81·00% vs 80·12%; difference 0·89 percentage points [99·55% CI 0·29–1·48]; p<0·0001) and the group receiving repeated letters at randomisation and at day 14 (80·85% vs 80·12%; difference 0·73 percentage points [0·13–1·34]; p=0·0006). These strategies improved vaccination rates across major subgroups including those with and without established cardiovascular disease. The cardiovascular gain-framed letter was particularly effective among participants who had not been vaccinated for influenza in the previous season (p interaction =0·0002). A sensitivity analysis of all randomly assigned individuals accounting for within-household clustering yielded similar findings. Electronically delivered letters highlighting potential cardiovascular benefits of influenza vaccination or sent again as a reminder significantly increased vaccination uptake across Denmark. Although the magnitude of effectiveness was modest, the low-touch, inexpensive, and highly scalable nature of these electronic letters might be informative for future public health campaigns. Sanofi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite much attention within the literature, the multiple risk factors associated with CVD mortality in Russia are still not fully understood. Drawing on the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework, we aim to elicit socioeconomic and behavioral determinants of cardiovascular risks in Russian men and women. Methods: Using the Know Your Heart project data, we utilize regression analysis and then structural equation modeling (latent class analysis and mediation analysis) to study the determinants of CVD risks. Results: OLS and ordered logit regressions show that the key factors defining cardiovascular health behaviors in Russia are health-related actions to reduce the perceived threat of diseases (physical activity and GP visits), perceived barriers to behavioral change (financial constraints), and cues to action (awareness of the federal health check-up program). The latent class analysis further identifies three distinct groups of the population with different CVD risk levels. Over one-third of respondents belong to the "high CVD risk" class characterized by the highest share of smokers and alcohol abusers who evade contact with primary care and face financial constraints. In the mediation analysis, we find that employment mediates the relationship between physical activity and CVD risks: physically active individuals have a greater chance of employment, and employment further mitigates CVD risks. We also find an indication of the selection of the healthy into employment in the causal relationship between GP visits, having a job, and CVD risks. Conclusion: A corresponding set of policy actions stem from these findings. These include reinforcing the change of perceptions of CVD risks and lowering barriers to health care; raising awareness of the free preventive check-up program in the "high CVD risk" group; making sports and exercise accessible to the elderly; and using off-putting labels on alcohol products as behavioral nudges among "physically active but drinking" males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos, Revista de Ciencias Administrativas y Económicas is the property of Universidad Politecnica Salesiana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyzes whether green nudges - displaying nature pictures or providing information on other people's behavior before the consumer makes a choice - can promote more environmentally friendly food choices. Based on data from an online, discrete choice experiment conducted in Germany, in which randomly selected groups of participants were shown either one of the nudges (treatment groups) or no nudge (control group), the study finds that green nudges increase individuals' willingness to pay more for products that have ecology and animal welfare labels. However, consumers in one of the treatment groups were willing to pay more for meat rather than the meat alternative, indicating that nudges can have an effect opposite from that intended. Future research should investigate the impact of these relatively cheap interventions with a representative sample and in a field setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of ICT offers excellent possibilities for empowering stakeholders and establishing appropriate communication between research and extension systems. This paper attempts to document and analyze selected ICT initiatives of three Agricultural Research Institutes in Telangana. Nudge Theory, is employed to identify specific nudges in this ICT initiatives of Research and development institutions. A relatively new concept, Nudge theory proposes positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions as ways to influence behavior. These are simple, low-cost interventions that alter behavior in predictable ways. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A nudging framework was developed and nudges were classified under 8 groups viz., internally imposed- mindful encouraging, mindful discouraging, mindless encouraging, and mindless discouraging and the externally imposed- mindful encouraging, mindful discouraging, mindless encouraging, and mindless discouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay moves from a conceptual dramatization of the 'otherification' of the human being towards the tentative solution of all the habitual juxtapositions created by modern rationality between human/non-human, organic/inorganic, life/death, natural/artificial, animate/inanimate. A new possible vision, substantiated by literature and supported by a philosophical critical thought, transfigures the same idea of matter, opening the way to a new form of materialism which acknowledges the vitality, the liveliness of the stuff and accepts infinite bio-possibilities. The horizon of a possible 'humanistic inhumanism' is explored through the paradigmatic and performative representation offered by Ali Abbasi's wonderful film 'Border', where montage becomes a philosophical tool to question not only the concrete potentiality of a completely reversed post-human semiotic order, but also the current normalization of ethical behaviour. All these arguments foster an articulated reflection on the transformations needed to provoke a 'regenerative apocalypse' of Politics and Governance for the promotion of a counter-ethic of interconnectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explores the potential for behavioural economics techniques called 'nudges' to encourage the use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by overseas-born men who have sex with men (MSM) in Australia. We investigated the preferences of overseas-born MSM for different nudges and the effect of nudges on reported likelihood of seeking information about PrEP. Methods: We conducted an online survey of overseas-born MSM, in which they were asked: (1) how likely they and a relevant friend would be to click on PrEP advertisements that used behavioural economics strategies; and (2) what they most and least liked about each ad. We conducted ordered logistic regression of reported likelihood scores against participant age and sexual orientation, use of a model in an advertisement, use of statistics about PrEP, reference to the World Health Organization (WHO), rewards for seeking further information, and use of a call-to-action. Results: Participants (n = 324) reported higher likelihoods of clicking on advertisements with images of people, statistics about PrEP, rewards for seeking further information, and calls-to-action. They reported lower likelihoods of clicking on advertisements referencing the WHO. They had negative emotional responses to sexualised humour, gambling metaphors, and the slogan 'Live Fearlessly'. Conclusions: Overseas-born MSM prefer public health messages that feature representative messengers and statistics about PrEP. These preferences are consistent with previous data on descriptive norms (i.e. statistics about the number of peers doing the desired behaviour) and gain-framed information (i.e. focusing on what can be gained from an intervention). Nudge theory argues that a large portion of human behaviour is the result of how choices are presented to us, as opposed rational considerations such as which choices are in our best interests. 'Nudges' are interventions that allow policy makers to cheaply alter behaviour without significantly changing economic incentives. We investigate the use of these techniques as tools to increase awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis, an effective HIV prevention strategy, among overseas-born men who have sex with men in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the influence of donation collection methods on the amounts of donation, focusing on donations for the cause and overhead. This research examines the effects of the three donation collection methods (allocation, cause‐first addition, and overhead‐first addition) that vary in terms of the procedure through which the donation amount is decided. The results of three empirical studies indicate that the donation collection method affects the amounts donated for the cause and overhead, in addition to the total donation amount. Study 1 shows that donors tend to donate more for the cause when the collection method asks them to add an extra amount for overhead to the amount donated for the cause (i.e., cause‐first addition) than when the collection method asks donors to allocate their total donation amounts to the cause and overhead (i.e., allocation), which also affects the total donation amount. Studies 2 and 3 test the effects of the donation collection order by comparing between the cause‐first and the overhead‐first addition methods. Results show that donors tend to donate more to the cause and overhead when the donation amount for overhead is asked first (i.e., overhead‐first) than when the donation amount for the cause is asked first (i.e., cause‐first). Furthermore, in all three studies, donors' satisfaction with the donation is not affected by the collection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal Public Administration & Social Management / Administração Pública e Gestão Social is the property of Administracao Publica e Gestao Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nudge theory is an emerging behavioral intervention theory based on behavioral economics and positive psychology, which has been widely used and proven effective in chronic disease self-management abroad. Compared with traditional intervention methods for chronic disease self-management, nudge theory-based intervention program possesses stronger generalization owing to lower requirements for patients' knowledge and attitude regarding chronic disease self-management without interfering with their freedom of choice. We introduced the concept, mechanism of action and classification of nudge theory, and reviewed the advances in its application in chronic disease self-management from four aspects: symptom monitoring, diet control, physical exercise, and medication adherence. On this basis, we put forward the following recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of nudge theory-based interventions: developing nudge theory-based intervention programs targeting the barriers to chronic disease self-management, delivering different types of interventions to different patients using digital technology as a method for classifying the intervention program, having close contact with the community during the intervention, and strengthening the supervision of relevant departments.

Occupational sedentariness is problematic for office-based workers because of their prolonged sitting periods and the advent of technology which reduces work-based movement. A common workplace strategy to deal with this preventable health risk is to have workers engage in brief movement breaks throughout the workday. To date, the use of interventions underpinned by individual self-regulation has had less than optimal impact on changing workers sedentary work behaviours. An alternative design for workplace interventions is the use of nudge theory. Nudge theory incorporates strategies that are delivered at the point of choice designed to influence individual decision making regarding alternative behaviour options. In this study, desk-based workers were exposed to two nudge strategies which suggested alternative behaviours of regular standing and taking movement breaks during work periods to the default behaviours of prolonged sitting and sedentary work behaviour. A small group of women managers who served as peer champions (n = 6), withdrew early from the study, and then took part in an exit interview to gain an understanding of their experiences of being exposed to the two nudge strategies. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis. Two major themes with seven second order themes central to their experiences were extracted: facilitative behaviour and feelings (advocacy, acceptance & facilitative burden) and dysfunctional behaviours and feelings (dysfunctional behaviour & feelings, control, reactance & presenteeism). Participants initially perceived a positive exchange associated with exposure to nudge strategies. Yet, participants' emotional connection to their work roles and behaviour were perceived as a negative exchange. Participants cited numerous maladaptive feelings because of a perception of incongruency with the established work normative behaviour. These findings reveal that nudge strategies of reduced choice and social norms are viable, but perceptions of monitoring can moderate adherence.

Background: Healthcare is a highly polluting industry and attention to the need for making this sector more sustainable is growing. The interventional radiology (IR) department is a relatively unique department in the hospital because of its synergetic use of both imaging equipment and medical instruments. As a result, the interventional radiology department causes a significant environmental burden in terms of energy usage, waste and water pollution. The aim of this study was to explore the current state of sustainability within IR by conducting a survey and interviews among IR specialists in the Netherlands. Results: The main findings of this study were that there is a high awareness for the need of sustainability within IR, but that there is still limited action. Previous studies point towards the various opportunities in the field of energy, waste and water pollution, yet our study unveils these opportunities are often not implemented because of (1) sustainability not being a priority, (2) a dependency on employees, and (3) factors that simply cannot be changed by an individual IR department or hospital. Generally, our study indicates that there is a willingness to become more sustainable, but that the current system involves a wide range barriers that hinder true change. Furthermore, it seems that no one is currently taking the lead and a leading role from higher management, government, healthcare authorities or professional societies is lacking. Conclusions: Despite the hurdles found in our study, IR departments can implement several improvements. An important factor is that sustainability should not lead to lower convenience for employees, which can be ensured by a sufficiently designed waste infrastructure and behavioral nudges. Furthermore, there lies an opportunity in more collaboration between IR departments in knowledge sharing and open innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in educational activities is an important prerequisite for academic success, yet often proves to be particularly challenging in digital settings. Therefore, this study set out to increase participation in an online proctored formative statistics exam by digital nudging. We exploited targeted nudges based on the Fogg Behaviour Model, highlighting the relevance of acknowledging differences in motivation and ability in allocating nudges to elicit target behaviour. First, we assessed whether pre‐existing levels of motivation and perceived ability to participate are effective in identifying different propensities of responsiveness to plain untailored nudges. Next, we evaluated whether tailoring nudges to students' motivation and perceived ability levels increases target behaviour by means of a randomized field experiment in which 579 first‐year university students received 6 consecutive emails over the course of three weeks to nudge behaviour regarding successful participation in the online exam. First, the results point out that motivation explains differences in engagement as indicated by student responsiveness and participation, whereas the perceived ability to participate does not. Second, the results from the randomized field experiment indicate that tailored nudging did not improve observed engagement. Implications for the potential of providing motivational information to improve participation in online educational activities are discussed, as are alternatives for capturing perceived ability more effectively. Practitioner notes: What is already known about this topic Participation in educational activities is an important prerequisite for academic success, yet often proves to be particularly challenging in digital settings.Students' internal barriers to online participation and persistence in higher education are lack of motivation and perceived ability.Nudging interventions tackle students' behavioural barriers, and are particularly effective when guided by a theory of behaviour change, and when targeting students who suffer most from those barriers. What this paper adds This study examines whether the Fogg Behaviour Model is suited to guide a nudging intervention with the aim to increase student engagement in online higher education.This study examines whether students with different levels of motivation and perceived ability vary in their online behaviour in response to nudges.This study experimentally evaluates whether targeted nudges—targeted at students' motivation and perceived ability—are more effective than plain (not‐targeted) nudges. Implications for practice and/or policy The results indicate the importance of motivation for performing nudged behaviours regarding successful participation in an online educational activity.The results do not provide evidence for the role of perceived digital ability, yet do show prior performance on a similar educational activity can effectively distinguish between students' responsiveness.Targeted nudges were not more effective than plain nudges, but the potential of other motivational nudges and how to increase perceived performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose Interventions are effective in promoting health behavior change to the extent that (a) intervention strategies modify targets (i.e. mechanisms of action), and (b) modifying targets leads to changes in behavior. To complement taxonomies that characterize the variety of strategies used in behavioral interventions, we outline a new principle that specifies how strategies modify targets and thereby promote behavior change. We distinguish two dimensions of targets—value (positive vs. negative) and accessibility (activation level)—and show that intervention strategies operate either by altering the value of what people think, feel, or want (target change) or by heightening the accessibility of behavior-related thoughts, feelings, and goals (target activation). Methods and Results We review strategies designed to promote target activation and find that nudges, cue-reminders, goal priming, the question-behavior effect, and if-then planning are each effective in generating health behavior change, and that their effectiveness accrues from heightened accessibility of relevant targets. We also identify several other strategies that may operate, at least in part, via target activation (e.g. self-monitoring, message framing, anticipated regret inductions, and habits). Conclusions The Activation Vs. Change Principle (AVCP) offers a theoretically grounded and parsimonious means of distinguishing among intervention strategies. By focusing on how strategies modify targets, the AVCP can aid interventionists in deciding which intervention strategies to deploy and how to combine different strategies in behavioral trials. We outline a research agenda that could serve to further enhance the design and delivery of interventions to promote target activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the use of nudge theory and behavioural science as a lens to better understand the influences and effects of heritage on society. Nudge theory applies insights from psychology to contextual factors that influence decisions and behaviours. These same insights can be used inversely, to interpret existing effects such as heritage. The paper describes parallels between nudging and heritage, focusing on ethical aspects including the dilemmas created by acknowledging these insights, transparency, and intentionality. It follows with discussion of choice architecture, the apparatus of nudging – and some of the mechanics behind the influences it can have. This draws upon experimental findings in behavioural science and applies them to various examples, with the intention of presenting new perspectives on known heritage sites, such as contentious statues. Finally, it considers the implications of using behavioural insights to further unpack the effects of heritage on society and the potential to help authorities, decision-makers, and community leaders be more aware of the impacts of heritage, which can be easily overlooked in policy and practice. It is intended that the paper is accessible to both those interested in behavioural science and in heritage studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Content and timing of honesty nudges are varied in an online experiment • Effect of nudges is independent from whether subjects already made decisions • Adding information about monitoring increases the effect of nudges • Personalized information has no additional effect • Nudges decrease dishonesty of those (presumably) honest as well as those dishonest We use a ten-round online mind game to determine whether the effect of honesty nudges depends on timing and content. Reminding individuals about the right thing to do increases honesty. Including information that it is possible to assess an individual's dishonesty strengthens the effect of the intervention. Both types of intervention are similarly effective when they take place before an individual has made any decision or after individuals have played five rounds of the mind game. Nudging an individual after they have made five decisions allows us to add personalized information based on the individual's previous response; however, this does not increase honesty. Examining the reaction to nudges based on previous behavior shows that (presumably) honest and dishonest individuals respond by reducing overreporting. The effect of the different nudge content is driven by those previously dishonest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recruiting participants for lifestyle programmes is known to be challenging. Insights into recruitment strategies, enrolment rates and costs are valuable but rarely reported. We provide insight into the costs and results of used recruitment strategies, baseline characteristics and feasibility of at-home cardiometabolic measurements as part of the Supreme Nudge trial investigating healthy lifestyle behaviours. This trial was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring a largely remote data collection approach. Potential sociodemographic differences were explored between participants recruited through various strategies and for at-home measurement completion rates. Methods: Participants were recruited from socially disadvantaged areas around participating study supermarkets (n = 12 supermarkets) across the Netherlands, aged 30–80 years, and regular shoppers of the participating supermarkets. Recruitment strategies, costs and yields were logged, together with completion rates of at-home measurements of cardiometabolic markers. Descriptive statistics are reported on recruitment yield per used method and baseline characteristics. We used linear and logistic multilevel models to assess the potential sociodemographic differences. Results: Of 783 recruited, 602 were eligible to participate, and 421 completed informed consent. Most included participants were recruited via letters/flyers at home (75%), but this strategy was very costly per included participant (89 Euros). Of paid strategies, supermarket flyers were the cheapest (12 Euros) and the least time-invasive (< 1 h). Participants who completed baseline measurements (n = 391) were on average 57.6 (SD 11.0) years, 72% were female and 41% had high educational attainment, and they often completed the at-home measurements successfully (lipid profile 88%, HbA1c 94%, waist circumference 99%). Multilevel models suggested that males tended to be recruited more often via word-of-mouth (ORfemales 0.51 (95%CI 0.22; 1.21)). Those who failed the first attempt at completing the at-home blood measurement were older (β 3.89 years (95% CI 1.28; 6.49), whilst the non-completers of the HbA1c (β − 8.92 years (95% CI − 13.62; − 4.28)) and LDL (β − 3.19 years (95% CI − 6.53; 0.09)) were younger. Conclusions: Supermarket flyers were the most cost-effective paid strategy, whereas mailings to home addresses recruited the most participants but were very costly. At-home cardiometabolic measurements were feasible and may be useful in geographically widespread groups or when face to face contact is not possible. Trial registration: Dutch Trial Register ID NL7064, 30 May 2018, https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NTR7302 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typically, nudging is a technique for steering the choices of people without giving reasons or using enforcement. In benevolent cases, it is used when people are insufficiently responsive to reason. The nudger triggers automatic cognitive mechanisms – sometimes even biases – in smart ways in order to push irrational people in the right direction. Interestingly, this technique can also be applied to doxastic attitudes. Someone who is doxastically unresponsive to evidence can be nudged into forming true beliefs or doxastic attitudes that are propositionally justified. When doxastic nudging uses non-rational mechanisms, the worry is that nudging cannot result in justified beliefs or knowledge, as the resulting doxastic attitudes lack the right kind of basis. In this paper, I will argue that given the right background views about knowledge, justified beliefs and the relevant processes, epistemic nudging is possible even in these cases. That is, all kinds of nudging can – in appropriate circumstances – produce justified beliefs or knowledge in the nudgee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a large-scale (n = 50,000) natural field experiment implemented by the U.S. Social Security Administration aimed at increasing the timely and accurate self-reporting of wages by Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. A letter reminding SSI recipients of their wage reporting responsibilities significantly increased both the likelihood of reporting any earnings and the total earnings reported. However, the specific letter content—providing social information or highlighting the salience of penalties—had no systematic effect. We develop a conservative estimate that the letters generated roughly $5.91 in savings per dollar spent, highlighting the value of such a nudge in this important context. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4645. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overseas diasporas have long been exploited by terrorist organisations seeking funding and support from areas beyond their operation. The Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), active in south-eastern Turkey, is no exception and maintains a significant international presence. This paper uses seventy-three survey responses and thirteen interviews amongst London's Turkish and Kurdish diaspora to provide an original and comprehensive insight into the PKK's overseas operations, including their offending patterns, methods, hotspots, offender/victim profiles and existing countermeasures. Respondents were also consulted on new community-based prevention measures designed to address limited law enforcement responses and the laissez-faire approaches of diaspora host countries. This strategy, which combines crime science and behavioural economic theories, consists of Clarke's "Situational Crime Prevention" theory and Thaler and Sunstein's "Nudge" theory (SCP+N). The results indicate that the PKK creates criminal opportunities by "legitimising" itself across diasporas by invoking ideological sympathy and social dependence (conceptualised as "constructed legitimisers"), ensuring minimal resistance to its activities. SCP+N is motivated as an effective counterstrategy, addressing both the rational and impulsive nature of offending. The overall theoretical contribution of this paper is to assess overseas terrorist financing through a prevention-oriented, situational and behavioural framework, and to propose a community-based strategy to effectively counter such activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to establish how nudging can be used to influence workplace behaviour: what behaviours at work nudges are targeted at, what types of nudges are used and what are the factors that affect effectiveness of nudges applied in the workplace, i.e. is nudging in the workplace any different than nudging people’s domestic and private lives. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review has been conducted in line with the PRISMA guidelines using Web of Science and Scopus databases. Findings: When nudges are implemented in the corporate context they are frequently used to: improve employees’ health and wellbeing, improve employees’ communication and performance, ensure safety culture at work, and promote pro-environmental behaviours. The following nudges are discussed as the most promising for managerial applications: descriptive social norms to encourage employees to knowledge sharing and re-use, reminders - to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace or ensure safety culture at work, and defaults in corporate conservation programmes. Starting dispositions of individuals (employees), situational factors and cultural variations are identified as the three factors affecting the effectiveness of nudges in a workplace. Originality/value: The paper provides a literature review which evaluates the state of knowledge on nudging in the workplace, indicates management implications when and how nudges can be applied to influence work behaviour and outlines promising avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is blessed with vast plant resources and unique vegetation types. Indigenous South African medicinal plants have been well-harnessed to generate income in rural communities. Many of these plants have been processed into natural products to heal a variety of diseases, making them valuable export commodities. South Africa has one of the most effective bio-conservation policies in Africa, which has protected the South African indigenous medicinal vegetation. However, there is a strong link between government policies for biodiversity conservation, the propagation of medicinal plants as a source of livelihood, and the development of propagation techniques by research scientists. Tertiary institutions nationwide have played a crucial role in the development of effective propagation protocols for valuable South African medicinal plants. The government-restricted harvest policies have also helped to nudge natural product companies and medicinal plant marketers to embrace the cultivated plants for their medicinal uses, and thus have helped support the South African economy and biodiversity conservation. Propagation methods used for the cultivation of the relevant medicinal plants vary according to plant family and vegetation type, among others. Plants from the Cape areas, such as the Karoo, are often resuscitated after bushfires, and propagation protocols mimicking these events have been established through seed propagation protocols with controlled temperatures and other conditions, to establish seedlings of such plants. Thus, this review highlights the role of the propagation of highly utilized and traded medicinal plants in the South African traditional medicinal system. Some valuable medicinal plants that sustain livelihoods and are highly sought-after as export raw materials are discussed. The effect of South African bio-conservation registration on the propagation of these plants and the roles of the communities and other stakeholders in the development of propagation protocols for highly utilized and endangered medicinal plants are also covered. The role of various propagation methods on the bioactive compounds' composition of medicinal plants and issues of quality assurance are addressed. The available literature, media online news, newspapers, and other resources, such as published books and manuals, were scrutinized for information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable energy consumption in household is linked to energy saving and the use of renewable energy sources. These are also the main measures of GHG emission reduction linked to energy consumption. There is a huge GHG emission reduction potential linked to energy consumption in households as climate change mitigation policies and measures aiming at sustainable energy consumption are mainly targeting energy supply sector. Climate change mitigation policies in households linked to promote of energy savings and use of renewable energy sources were not able to overcome behavioural barriers of sustainable energy consumption in households, as they were targeting economic barriers mainly. Therefore, new policies and measures targeting behavioural barriers of sustainable energy consumption inn households are necessary. The paper analyses behavioural barriers of sustainable energy consumption in households and provides analysis of policies and measures set to overcome behavioural barriers of sustainable energy consumption. The analysis of advantages and disadvantages of nudges is provided policy recommendations were developed based on analysis conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the path of pollution in the marine area is one of the most important concerns for those involved in environmental studies. In this paper, we have discussed the capabilities of using the data assimilation method in the FVCOM numerical model in forecasting the movement path of a surface drifter in the Strait of Hormuz. Initially, the FVCOM model was implemented for particle tracking by using environmental data in the Strait of Hormuz. Then tidal gages data of the Strait of Hormuz were assimilated in the numerical model using the nudging method. The results of the two runs were compared with field measurements data using statistical parameters such as bias and correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis and visual comparisons depicted the ability of data assimilation in optimizing the model water level outputs and reducing the differences between drifter location and model results and also the rate of the distance between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The objective of this study is to introduce the concept of economic nudging and its underlying principles, particularly those based on behavioral economics. The study also explores how Arab countries have utilized behavioral nudges to advance their public policies, institutional decision-making, and societal development, ultimately leading to improved well-being, happiness, and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of COVID-19, individuals have experienced situations that may help them relate to others, including more limited ability to interact with their environment. Thus, this survey experiment (N = 2,229) tests whether perspective-focused interventions can help increase support for prison reform. Findings suggest that perspective-getting (providing the perspective of an incarcerated individual via a narrative description of dealing with confinement) increased self-reported support for prison reform initiatives, compared with information only. In addition, a perspective-taking prompt—nudging participants to put themselves in the shoes of the incarcerated individual when reading their narrative—may help boost intention to take action in support of prison reform. Future avenues for research and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T. M. Scanlon posits a universal moral relationship in response to the worry that his relational approach to blame cannot answer the question of how strangers can fittingly blame one another. However, commentators have noted that appealing to universal moral standards seems to explicitly deviate from a relational approach's basis in actual relationship norms. This paper argues that Scanlon's idea of a moral relationship can nevertheless provide a basis for response to the problem of strangers if we recognize that actual and ideal moral relationships both play a role within the relational approach. An interesting consequence of this recognition is that it seems to undermine the moral relationship's universality. However, a presumptive case for assuming the relationship exists even between strangers can be found in seeing our blaming practices as akin to public policy nudges, where blame operates like an opt-out choice architecture with respect to the moral relationship. On this understanding, though the moral relationship is escapable, individuals are naturally encouraged to participate through the expression of interpersonal attitudes that communicate relational norms and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]