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Students’ Name
Professors Name
Course Name
Institution
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What is a Nudge?
A nudge is a behavioral economic term which involves coming up with decisions that would influence people’s behaviors without overlooking other options or altering their economic incentives (Thaler & Sunstein 6). In basic terms, nudge involves a process of making effective decisions that are aimed at improving the wellness of the people (Thaler & Sunstein 6). It could be any decision on the choice of architecture aimed at shaping the behaviors of individuals to behave in a predictable way. To be considered as a nudge, a solution to a problem should be easier to implement and cost friendly, a suitable choice that cannot be easily be avoided (Brashaw 1). For instance, a fruit can be used as a nudge to influence a person to remain focused. A fruit can be positioned at an eye level to change the behaviors of an individual by concentrating on what is in the front of them. In economic theory concept, the choice of a nudge is based on its effectiveness to address the issue at hand, in our case, the choice of architecture in addressing the noise control issue is determined based on its costs, and it processes involved in its implementation (Brashaw 1). The choice of a nudge to curb noise in the library should be identifiable from other alternatives based on its benefits and costs. The manner in which it influences the behaviors must be assessed and evaluated through the best scientific methods before implementations (Lehner et al. 37).
Nudge to address the noise control problems
The issue of the noise control at the university library can be addressed through various nudges. The choice of the nudge must be chosen based on the manner in which it is going to alter individuals’ behaviors and its potential impacts. The nudge in which I would recommend to be used to solve the noise control problem in university library is coming up with a noise regulation nudge. This nudge involves coming up with regulations to punish noise and trouble makers in the library. Even though there are existing noise control regulations within all the institution, students are bound to violate it in the case whereby its consequences are not severe. The nudge does not only apply to students but other individuals within the library jurisdiction who would violate the regulations. In the presence of regulations that are not tougher, individuals tend to behave carelessly because they are not afraid of the consequences of their actions. In the nudge that I propose, the library should come up regulations whereby those who violate this nudge inside the library should be suspended from accessing library services for a specific period of time. The offenders should have their library cards confiscated and they should not be allowed to enter the library until after the expiry of suspension. When it comes to other individuals who make noise outside the library, the institution must pass regulations whereby those who cause disturbance within the confines of the library must be fined. They should also be barred from entering the confines of the institution for a specific period of time. This nudge is cost effective and easy to implement. It would influence the behaviors of those who causes disturbance because they would behave in a certain manner to evade the consequences. However, the institution must define specific noise which is punishable. This is simply because there is a difference between the noise caused by movements inside the library and disturbances.
Reasons why the nudge would work
. There are reasons why this nudge is going to work. Regulations are widely employed in different institutions and it is evident that it has influence on people’s behaviors (Lehner et al. 37). Their behaviors would have its consequences, thus they would be influenced to behave in a positive way to avoid getting in trouble. This nudge would suit the library setting and it would work perfectly in addressing the problem of noise pollution. Based on scientific evidence, most policies are influenced by behavioral economics and the outcomes and effect of a policy after its implementations. This nudge is cost-effective, it only involves coming up with strict regulations that would address the noise problem at school library. The impact of the nudge is measurable. Its impact can be assessed after implementation to ascertain whether the noise has reduced. This nudge is also specific and realistic. It is aimed at addressing the noise pollution within library environment. The use of regulations has been employed by other institutions, and its impact has been tested (Lehner et al. 37). This nudge can be enforced by the library officers and institution security personnel, thus it is not expensive to be implemented and enforced to curb noise at the library. Furthermore, this nudge can be applied in a diverse environment. This is mainly because human behaviors are diverse but they can be shaped to make better choices because every choice has its consequences.
Scientific Experiences
There is a scientific prove that shows that the theory would be applicable in the school library. The main reason of coming up with a nudge is to influence the behaviors of individuals to make better choices by evaluating their behaviors. The people are not compelled to make choices (Lindahl & Stikvoort 2). They would have to independently weigh in what on the right behaviors that would not put them in trouble. In behavioral science, an issue can be addressed through different interventions which is a subject to testing and further implementations. Through the use of qualitative research, the effect of noise problem nudge can be assessed to ascertain the impact that it has on the behaviors of individuals. The impact of regulation can be evaluated by interviewing the participant groups who are the students and library officials. In most cases in a library where there is too much noise, the participants may attest that there is lack of regulation to address the issue. Through observation, the influence of the nudge can be noted. An observation must be conducted before and after the implementation. The observations findings should be compared to conclude whether the nudge has addressed the problem that existed before. The methods used to findings must gather data about behaviors, feelings and opinions of the participants (Lindahl & Stikvoort 2). In most common cases, there is a huge difference that can be observed in environments where there are strict regulations and those with no regulations at all. For instance, in a soccer pitch where regulations are enforced, the players are more likely to maintain their discipline.
Positive and Negative Externalities
There are various externalities that are likely to be brought by the enforcement of this nudge in the school library. These externalities include the negative and positive contributions of the nudge to an institution and their stakeholders who would be directly or indirectly be affected. Positive externalities are positive contributions of the nudge. On economic perspective, the nudge must be cheaper and easy to use. The nudge I proposed is cost friendly and the parents and the institution would not incur a lot of losses in the process of implementation. Also the nudge would benefit both students and the institutions as a result of a decline in noise pollution. As a consequence, students would be able to concentrate on their studies. The school also would present a quiet and conducive environment for learning to all learners. The nudge would also influence the behaviors of the students thus they would be able to demonstrate the right behaviors within the school environment.
On the other hand, this nudge has negative externalities. This includes the negative impact of the nudge on third parties. This nudge affects the third parties who are not the stakeholders of the institutions. The nudge imposes heavy fines on those who cause disturbances outside the library. As a consequence, these would put those with cars and those who cause disturbances at the cause of their duty in a disadvantaged position because of the consequences in which they don’t deserve. Also, these nudge will violate the freedoms and rights of others. For instance, in the case where the car is the cause of the noise, it would be unfair to target the owner or the driver especially when he or she is unaware of the existence of a nudge. The parents who are the stakeholders may incur costs to be used in the implementation of the nudge. The parents would be indirectly affected by nudge in the case where their children have failed to conform to requirements of the nudge. Furthermore, the implementation of the nudge is a non-inclusive process which is conducted by few stakeholders but it affects other third parties. In this case, I think the nudge has more negative externalities over positive externalities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, implementing noise regulation policy as a nudge would provide solution problem in the university library. It is evident that people behave carelessly in the case where there are no or less strict regulations. Putting up strict regulations would shape the behaviors of individuals because they would maintain positive behaviors to avoid potential consequences.
Works Cited
Brashaw, Della. “How a little nudge can lead to better decisions”. Financial Times, 2015.
Lehner, Matthias, Oksana Mont, and Eva Heiskanen. "Nudging–A promising tool for sustainable consumption behaviour?." Journal of Cleaner Production134 (2016): 166-177.
Lindahl, T., and B. Stikvoort. "Nudging-the new black in environmental policy." FORES, 2015.
Thaler, R., and Sunstein, C, “Nudge: Improving decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness”. Yale University Press, 2008.
