International Journal of Social Science & Economic Research
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Title:
Critical Evaluation of Nudge in Indian Context

Authors:
Adya Gupta

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Adya Gupta
The Shri Ram School Moulsari, Gurugram Haryana

MLA 8
Gupta, Adya. "Critical Evaluation of Nudge in Indian Context." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 9, no. 11, Nov. 2024, pp. 5188-5197, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i11.013. Accessed Nov. 2024.
APA 6
Gupta, A. (2024, November). Critical Evaluation of Nudge in Indian Context. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 9(11), 5188-5197. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i11.013
Chicago
Gupta, Adya. "Critical Evaluation of Nudge in Indian Context." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 9, no. 11 (November 2024), 5188-5197. Accessed November, 2024. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i11.013.

References

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ABSTRACT:
Across many contexts, nudging has been successfully used to alter behaviour to achieve desirable outcomes. It is now seen as the beacon of behavioural reform and has been incorporated into various state-based policies across the globe, considering its universal success, as evidenced by a plethora of experiments. However, what these experiments have failed to capture is the broader cultural context in which nudges are employed. A popular failing of nudges comes to light in the case of organ donation. A mere default opt-in option does not always lead to increased organ donations, since it needs a larger socio-cultural infrastructure to aid with organ harvesting, transportation and then surgery. We use the same sociocultural lens to critically analyse the effectiveness of nudges employed by the Indian government to curb open defecation. We found that context-blind nudging led to the creation of multiple toilets that remained unused because the nudges were not aligned with the religious norms of disgust. However, later, the use of more context-savvy nudges did indeed lead to a significant reduction in open defecation across India. This paper puts forth the need for more culturally sensitive nudges to be developed to overcome the bias of Western contexts, such that culturally appropriate nudges can be developed, without wasting government resources.

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