How Change Happens

Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School)

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English

MIT Press
14 April 2020

Media studies; Social issues & processes

Series: The MIT Press

An ""illuminating"" study that reveals the different ways social change occurs-for readers of Freakonomics and Thinking, Fast and Slow (The New York Times)

How does social change happen? When do social movements take off? Sexual harassment was once something that women had to endure; now a movement has risen up against it. White nationalist sentiments, on the other hand, were largely kept out of mainstream discourse; now there is no shortage of media outlets for them. In this book, with the help of behavioral economics, psychology, and other fields, Cass Sunstein casts a bright new light on how change happens.

Sunstein focuses on the crucial role of social norms-and on their frequent collapse. When norms lead people to silence themselves, even an unpopular status quo can persist. Then one day, someone challenges the norm-a child who exclaims that the emperor has no clothes; a woman who says ""me too."" Sometimes suppressed outrage is unleashed, and long-standing practices fall.

Sometimes change is more gradual, as ""nudges"" help produce new and different decisions-apps that count calories; texted reminders of deadlines; automatic enrollment in green energy or pension plans. Sunstein explores what kinds of nudges are effective and shows why nudges sometimes give way to bans and mandates. Finally, he considers social divisions, social cascades, and ""partyism,"" when identification with a political party creates a strong bias against all members of an opposing party-which can both fuel and block social change.

By: Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School)
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 22mm
ISBN: 9780262538985
ISBN 10: 0262538989
Series: The MIT Press
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 14 April 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He was the recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize, one of the largest annual international research prizes awarded to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law, or theology. He is the author of The Cost-Benefit Revolution, How Change Happens (both published by the MIT Press), Nudge- Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler), and other books.

Reviews for How Change Happens

Sunstein's book is illuminating because it puts norms at the center of how we think about change. -The New York Times In this dense and technical, but illuminating, work influenced by behavioral science and political philosophy, legal scholar and policy theorist Sunstein (Nudge) further develops his ideas on how changes in attitude and behavior ought to happen.... This is a work that demands-but rewards-the reader's full attention. Starred Review. -Publishers Weekly Sunstein's book is illuminating because it puts norms at the center of how we think about change. -David Brooks, The New York Times