Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium
Event date
This symposium on behavioral economics examined social and political participation, including why individuals choose to join a movement or party, the influence of partisanship on decision-making, and the use of implicit and explicit behavioral nudges to increase civic engagement.
The Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium, presented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, is made possible through the generous support of Robert B. Menschel.
Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium
Keynote Session: Behavioral Economics and Social Movements
Speaker
- Cass R. SunsteinRobert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School; Author, How Change Happens; Former Administrator, White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Presider
- John C. BusseyAssociate Editor, Wall Street Journal
Transcript
BUSSEY: Well, welcome, everybody, to our session today on “Behavioral Economics and Social Movements.” We are delighted to have Professor Cass Sunstein with us from Harvard Law School, a behavioral economics expert, former Obama administration official. And we’ll be going to—we’re going to talk for a little bit, and then we’ll go to questions in about a half-an-hour or so. We’re very much interested in your involvement in the discussion as well.
I do want to say, this symposium is presented by the Maurice Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies. It’s made possible through the general support of the Robert B. Menschel Fund. So thank you all for joining us. It’s on the record. And if you wouldn’t mind just putting your cellphones on stun mode so that they don’t—they don’t ring during the session. Excellent.
Cass, thanks for joining us. Delighted that you’re—that you’re here. You’ve just written a book, how do we change, how does social change actually happen? And it focuses a lot on social norms. And I’m wondering if we can start by just understanding, what exactly is a social norm?
SUNSTEIN: It’s a regularity whose violation triggers social disapproval. So if I were wearing a T-shirt...
Session II: Political Behavior and Civic Engagement
Speakers
- Leyla KarakasAssistant Professor of Economics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University
- Yanna KrupnikovAssociate Professor of Political Science, Stony Brook University
- Josh MartinManaging Director, Ideas42
Presider
- Zachary KarabellAuthor; President, River Twice Research; Founder, Progress Network
Transcript
KARABELL: So welcome to the second part of our symposium. Cass Sunstein’s always a hard act to follow, but there are four of us and one of him so hopefully that will be at least additive. That’s your cue to titter politely. (Laughter.)
So the same Robert’s Rules of Order pertain as the first. This meeting is on the record. So whatever you were thinking of saying off the record about behavioral economics and partisanship, don’t. We will do—have about half the time for questions at the end, and there will be a microphone. And I’ll repeat this, but it’s the same rules that it always is.
My name is Zachary Karabell. I am a Council member and have done this occasionally. And while I am not either a behavioral economics professor, academic, scholar, nor am I well-versed in game theory, in terms of the partisanship and political participation I have one thing to add to this discussion preemptively. And that is for the past year or so I have been a semi-regular on an hourlong show two to three times a week—usually two—on Fox Business News where I, in many respects, play the designated liberal.
Now, how many of...