In this episode of the B.E. GOOD! Podcast by BVA Nudge Consulting, we spoke with Richard Thaler, the Charles Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science & Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Professor Thaler is best known as both the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and as the co-author of the global bestseller Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness from 2008, which outlines how the concepts of behavioral economics can be used to address many of society’s major challenges.

Professor Thaler studies behavioral economics and finance as well as the psychology of decision making. He’s the author of six books, including his most recent Nudge: The Final Edition and numerous academic articles. 

Listen to the podcast below on Soundcloud or on your favorite podcast platform.

In our conversation, we learned about:  

• Professor Thaler’s personal journey, including his list of anomalies, the reason why his work focused on Finance – and his “greatest discovery”

• The primary motivation and “Nudge” behind his decision to update his most famous book

• The complex and often-misunderstood impact of Defaults

• The biggest change he’s seen in the field of Behavioral Economics over the past decade

• The reasons why government Nudge Units have typically had positive (but limited) impact 

• Why Professor Thaler is not averse to algorithms

Click here to learn more about Professor Thaler and his work.

Want to keep listening? Check out other episodes of the B.E. GOOD! Podcast.

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be good podcast Richard Thaler