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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Daniel ZizzoORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
We propose a triple test to evaluate the usefulness of behavioral economics models for public health policy. Test 1 is whether the model provides reasonably new insights. Test 2 is on whether these have been properly applied to policy settings. Test 3 is whether they are corroborated by evidence. We exemplify by considering the cases of social interactions models, self-control models and, in relation to health message framing, prospect theory. Out of these sets of models, only a correctly applied prospect theory fully passes the tests at present. Specifically, in broad agreement with the evidence, a gain frame has positive implications for welfare encourages disease prevention activity, though this does not apply if the perceived probability of the bad health outcome is large enough. We see our tests as being useful to identify how much health policy weight policy-makers should assign to specific behavioral economic models; they are also useful to verify what next steps would be most useful in further research.
Author(s): Nakamura R, Suhrcke M, Zizzo DJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Theory and Decision
Year: 2017
Volume: 83
Issue: 4
Pages: 513-533
Print publication date: 01/12/2017
Online publication date: 18/07/2017
Acceptance date: 10/07/2017
Date deposited: 11/07/2017
ISSN (print): 0040-5833
ISSN (electronic): 1573-7187
Publisher: Springer US
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11238-017-9625-9
DOI: 10.1007/s11238-017-9625-9
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