The pension bill has made it easier for companies to offer good tefalt plansa by giving safe harbour so that they don't get sued. The labor department is unwilling to say any thing that has any risk of going down is prudentell, he says. 'We're interested in having the government help unsophisticated people make better decisions'
Richard Thaler of the U. of Chicago Graduate School of Business defends the idea of libertarian paternalism--how government might use the insights of behavioral economics to help citizens make better choices. Host Russ Roberts accepts the premise that individuals make imperfect choices but challenges Thaler on the likelihood that government, in practice, will improve matters. Along the way they discuss the design of Sweden's social security system, organ donations and whether professors at Cornell University are more or less like you and me.