Policy makers, be those working for government or in the private sector, have to choose something. And certainly picking the arrangement that's designed to make people better off is as defensible as any. Why would it be justified to act in a non coercive way in one else's self interest?
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.