Videos
-
Cass Sunstein on Nudge, the Final Edition & Noise
-
Too Much Information │ Prof Cass Sunstein
-
HLS Library Book Talk | Cass Sunstein, "How Change Happens"
-
Too Much Information │ Prof Cass Sunstein
-
"Not Wanting to Know" by Cass Sunstein | IAREP Economic Psychology Seminar
-
Cass Sunstein | How to Defuse Polarization and Bridge Divides in Business, Politics and Society
-
What is cognitive scarcity? Cass Sunstein explains | Brainfluence Brief
-
Saving Money and Saving Lives | Cass Sunstein | TEDxBeaconStreet
-
Behavioral Economics and Social Movements with Cass Sunstein
-
Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein on "Nudge"
-
Bringing About Social Change with Cass Sunstein
-
HLS Library Book Talk | Cass Sunstein, "On Freedom"
-
Cass R. Sunstein and "Simpler: The Future of Government"
-
Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas with Cass R. Sunstein
-
Cass Sunstein: A Citizen's Guide to Impeachment
-
HLS Library Book Talk | Cass Sunstein, "Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America"
-
Cass Sunstein on Nudge Theory
-
Learning from Leaders: Cass Sunstein in Conversation with Zoe Chance
Learn More About Cass Sunstein
“Cass Sunstein is the preeminent legal scholar of our time — the most wide-ranging, the most prolific, the most cited, and the most influential…His work in any one of the fields he pursues — administrative law and policy, constitutional law and theory, behavioral economics and law, environmental law, to name a non-exhaustive few — would put him in the very front ranks of legal scholars; the combination is singular and breathtaking. He has a gift for framing and discussing issues in ways that invariably gain traction and make progress. And perhaps best of all, this individual superstar is also the consummate team player — a person whose passion for reasoned intellectual inquiry is contagious and who raises the level of everyone around him. If I could add only one person to the faculty, Cass would be that person, and I am thrilled beyond measure to announce his appointment.”
– Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In a sea of fake news and mass bewilderment, Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein is one of those rare voices of truth. Hard, honest truths. Sunstein challenges us to think hard about how leaders make decisions and how they can avoid errors that could potentially damage or compromise an organization, or society at large. He also asks the sharpest of questions, the kind that shake up and wake up audiences in need of a “Nudge,” the aptly titled name of The New York Times bestseller he coauthored with Richard H. Thaler.
As stakeholders in every area of business and government respond to the COVID-19 crisis, they are being forced to make changes that will reach far beyond the strategies and economics of their own organizations and industries. As an advisor, speaker and the most-cited law professor of our time, Sunstein continues to advise policymakers and business leaders across sectors as they wind their way through this crisis and prepare for a different future.
An expert on leveraging behavioral economics principles, Sunstein offers insights and methodologies that have also been embraced by scholars and the media, including The New York Times, where he was named “the most productive and probably the most influential liberal legal scholar of his generation.” Sunstein has served as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and as a member of the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize, one of the world’s greatest scholarly honors for exemplary work in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology.
A fierce advocate for truth, bold change and designing a better future, Sunstein offers leaders practical strategies for affecting behavior in order to drive change away from the status quo. His keynotes, workshop sessions and advisory meetings can be customized to address the specific needs of an organization. Below is just a sampling of the timely and provocative topics he offers to meetings.
- Nudging: Past, Present, Future
- How Change Happens
- What People Want to Know
- The Cost-Benefit State
- Sludge
Sunstein’s latest books include “Bounded Rationality: Heuristics, Judgment, and Public Policy” (MIT Press, July 2022), “Nudge: The Final Edition” (Yale University Press, September 2021), “Sludge: What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It” (MIT Press, September 2021), “Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment (Little, Brown Spark, May 2021) – which won the 2021 getAbstract International Book Award – “Averting Catastrophe: Decision Theory for COVID-19, Climate Change, and Potential Disasters of All Kinds” (NYU Press, April 2021), “Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception” (Oxford University Press, March 2021), “This Is Not Normal: The Politics of Everyday Expectations” (Yale University Press, February 2021), and “Too Much Information” (The MIT Press, September 2020). His earlier books, “Simpler: The Future of Government” and “Republic.com,” received high praise.
A frequent adviser to governments all over the world and a columnist for Bloomberg View, Sunstein is married to the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power.
Cass Sunstein is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
Noise and Bias
Human beings are sometimes “biased,” in the sense that they make systemic mistakes (for example, they might show “optimistic bias”). In addition, human beings are sometimes “noisy,” in the sense that they show unwanted variability (perhaps making different decisions in the morning and the afternoon). The best solution to both noise and bias, says Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein, comes from “decision hygiene,” which can include the use of formal models and algorithms. In this presentation based on his award-winning book “Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement” (2021), Sunstein illuminates concrete ways to reduce or even eliminate widespread “algorithm aversion.”
How to Defuse Polarization and Bridge Divides in Politics, Business and Society
While polarization is an age-old problem, managing and governing people in the 21st century has been complicated by increasingly divisive rhetoric within online and in-person groups, creating damaging political and social divisions in every corner of the world. Business and government leaders looking for successful ways to bridge those divides will find Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein’s insights invaluable. In this presentation, he shares the results of experiments he’s conducted, which explain why such divides exist. He then outlines methods leaders can employ to promote unity, understanding and, ultimately, a successful way forward to solve common problems and reach common goals.
Default Nudges: From People's Experiences to Policymaking Implications
(Palgrave Macmillan, January 2023)
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment (Winner of the 2021 getAbstract International Book Award)
(Little, Brown Spark, May 2021)
The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science (Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society)
(Cambridge University Press, August 2016)
Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter
(Harvard Business Review Press, December 2014)
The Second Bill of Rights: FDR's Unfinished Revolution -- And Why We Need It More Than Ever
(Basic Books, July 2006)
Is Living Constitutionalism Dead? The Enigma of Bolling v. Sharpe
(Harvard Law School, August 20, 2022)
On the Limited Policy Relevance of Evolutionary Explanations
(Behavioral Public Policy, January 2022)
Facing It: Assessing the Immediate Emotional Impacts of Calorie Labelling Using Automatic Facial Coding
(Cambridge University Press, November 2021)
‘Come On, Man!’ on Errors, Choice, and Hayekian Behavioral Economics
(Cambridge University Press, September 2021)
Arbitrariness Review (With Special Reference to the Social Cost of Carbon)
(Harvard Law School, July 2021)
What Do People Want to Know? Information Avoidance and Food Policy Implications
(Food Policy, June 2021)
“Cass Sunstein is the preeminent legal scholar of our time — the most wide-ranging, the most prolific, the most cited, and the most influential…His work in any one of the fields he pursues — administrative law and policy, constitutional law and theory, behavioral economics and law, environmental law, to name a non-exhaustive few — would put him in the very front ranks of legal scholars; the combination is singular and breathtaking. He has a gift for framing and discussing issues in ways that invariably gain traction and make progress. And perhaps best of all, this individual superstar is also the consummate team player — a person whose passion for reasoned intellectual inquiry is contagious and who raises the level of everyone around him. If I could add only one person to the faculty, Cass would be that person, and I am thrilled beyond measure to announce his appointment.”
Praise for "Liars"
“A passionate and forceful argument from America’s pre-eminent legal scholar that our law ought to do more to protect the public from the harms of falsehood.”
“An increasing amount of what we hear and read is demonstrably factually false, and the acceptance of falsity has grave consequences for democratic decision-making. Drawing on legal doctrine, psychological research, and an impressive command of the dynamics of modern media, Cass Sunstein offers a sobering explanation of why factual falsity is increasingly prevalent in contemporary public discourse and why American free speech doctrine may do more to exacerbate than alleviate the problem. This book is essential reading in the modern political and media environment.”
“An insightful, balanced, and readable book, by one of America’s leading legal scholars whether you ultimately agree with its suggestions or not, you will learn much from its analysis.”
Praise for "Too Much Information"
“An accessible treatise on the need to ensure that information improves citizens’ wellbeing with a narrative [that] is clear and relatable.”
“Sunstein writes in clear, accessible language throughout. This balanced and well-informed take illuminates an obscure but significant corner of government policymaking.”
“Classic Cass Sunstein: Keen insights and bracingly clear prose fill every page. The chapter on Facebook alone is a compelling reason to read ‘Too Much Information.'”
“Once again Cass Sunstein shows that evaluating policy questions with evidence and rigor not only leads to better governance but can be intellectually exhilarating.”
“Years at the White House uniquely prepared Cass — a world-renowned behavioral scientist — to write this important book. His must-read arguments about when governments should and should not require companies to disclose information draw on entertaining anecdotes supported by rigorous research.”
“Cass Sunstein offers a unique and incredibly valuable perspective on information and how it affects people’s choices, presented in a masterful way.”
“Sunstein offers an endless supply of thought-provoking and accessible examples to highlight the fascinating questions at the heart of information disclosure policy. This book changed how I think about what information to seek out in my own life.”
