Rationality and Behavioral Economics in Public and Private Decision
Making: Evidence from India's Health Campaigns and Apple Inc.

Aaria Adhvaryu

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.031

Title: Rationality and Behavioral Economics in Public and Private Decision Making: Evidence from India's Health Campaigns and Apple Inc.
Authors: Aaria Adhvaryu
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 10 Publication Date: October 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.031
\|\| \|\|
Aaria Adhvaryu Oberoi International School, Mumbai, India
MLA 8 Adhvaryu, Aaria. "Rationality and Behavioral Economics in Public and Private Decision Making: Evidence from India's Health Campaigns and Apple Inc." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 10, Oct. 2026, pp. 5900-5918, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.031. Accessed Oct. 2026. APA 6 Adhvaryu, A. (2026, October). Rationality and Behavioral Economics in Public and Private Decision Making: Evidence from India's Health Campaigns and Apple Inc. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(10), 5900-5918. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.031 Chicago Adhvaryu, Aaria. "Rationality and Behavioral Economics in Public and Private Decision Making: Evidence from India's Health Campaigns and Apple Inc." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 10 (October 2026), 5900-5918. Accessed October, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.031.
References [1] . Saura, J. R., & Buzinskiene, R. (2025). Behavioral economics, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship: an updated framework for management. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 21(1). DOI: 10.1007/s11365-025-01076-7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-025-01076-7 [2] . Chen, Y. (2024). An overview of behavioral economics. Academic Journal of Business & Management, 6(3). DOI: 10.25236/ajbm.2024.060306. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25236/ajbm.2024.060306 [3] . Schiliro, D. (2018). Economic decisions and Simon's notion of bounded rationality. International Business Research, 11(7), 64. DOI: 10.5539/ibr.v11n7p64. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v11n7p64 [4] . Victor, V., Nair, A. M., & Meyer, D. F. (2023). Nudges and choice architecture in public policy: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 104, 102020. DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2023.102020. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2023.102020 [5] . Atmadja, S. S., Sills, E. O., Pattanayak, S. K., Yang, J., & Patil, S. (2017). Explaining environmental health behaviors: evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates. Environment and Development Economics, 22(3), 229–248. DOI: 10.1017/S1355770X17000018. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355770x17000018 [6] . Thaler, R. H. (2016). Behavioral economics: Past, present, and future. American Economic Review, 106(7), 1577–1600. DOI: 10.1257/aer.106.7.1577. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.106.7.1577 [7] . Cerasoli, C. P., Nicklin, J. M., & Ford, M. T. (2014). Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: A 40-year meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 980–1008. DOI: 10.1037/a0035661. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035661 [8] . Santos, A. J. (2025). The role of behavioral insights in economic decision making education. Academic Journal of Science, Technology and Education, 1(5), 39–42. Available at: https://integrumpublication.org/index.php/ajste/article/view/57 [9] . Espín, A. M., Pe'er, E., & Mills, S. (2026). Behavioral economics in people management: A critical and integrative review. Behavioral Sciences, 16(1), 65. DOI: 10.3390/bs16010065. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010065 [10] . Singal, V. (2024). Behavioral economics and consumer choice: Understanding decision-making processes. Available at: https://eelet.org.uk/index.php/journal/article/view/1797 Accessed 21 September 2026. [11] . Kuroki, M., & Sasaki, S. (2025). When incentives and nudges meet: Promoting budget allocations for undervalued policies. arXiv. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.08323. Accessed 21 September 2026. [12] . Goyens, M., Hausman, D. M., Reisch, L. A., Sunstein, C. R., Troussard, X., & Van Bavel, R. (2018). Nudging in public policy: application, opportunities and challenges. Intereconomics, 53(1). Available at: https://www.intereconomics.eu/contents/year/2018/number/1/article/nudging-in-public-policy-application-opportunities-and-challenges.html [13] . Government of India, Ministry of Finance. (2019). Policy for homo sapiens, not homo economicus: leveraging the behavioural economics of "Nudge." Economic Survey 2018–19, Volume 1, Chapter 2. Available at: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/budget2019-20/economicsurvey/doc/vol1chapter/echap02_vol1.pdf [14] . Murayama, H., Takagi, Y., Tsuda, H., & Kato, Y. (2023). Applying nudge to public health policy: Practical examples and tips for designing nudge interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 3962. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20053962. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053962 [15] . Banerjee, S., & John, P. (2021). Nudge plus: Incorporating reflection into behavioral public policy. Behavioural Public Policy, 8(1), 69–84. DOI: 10.1017/bpp.2021.6. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2021.6 [16] . Sunstein, C. R. (2014). Why nudge? The politics of libertarian paternalism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. [17] . Banerjee, B., Chandrasekhar, A. G., Dalpath, S., Duflo, E., Floretta, J., Jackson, M. O., Kannan, H., Loza, F., Sankar, A., Schrimpf, A., & Shrestha, M. (2025). Selecting the most effective nudge: Evidence from a large-scale experiment on immunization. Econometrica, 93(4), 1183–1223. Available at: https://www.econometricsociety.org/publications/econometrica/2025/07/01/Selecting-the-Most-Effective-Nudge-Evidence-from-a-Large-Scale-Experiment-on-Immunization/ [18] . Choudhary, M., Solomon, R., Awale, J., Dey, R., Singh, J. P., & Weiss, W. (2021). Significance of a social mobilization intervention for engaging communities in polio vaccination campaigns: Evidence from CORE Group Polio Project, Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Global Health, 11, 07011. DOI: 10.7189/jogh.11.07011. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.07011 [19] . Bonu, S., Rani, M., & Baker, T. D. (2003). The impact of the national polio immunization campaign on levels and equity in immunization coverage: evidence from rural North India. Social Science & Medicine, 57(10), 1807–1819. DOI: 10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00056-X. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00056-X [20] . World Health Organization. (2021). India: A push to vaccinate every child, everywhere, ended polio in India. Available at: https://www.who.int/india/news-room/feature-stories/detail/a-push-to-vaccinate-every-child-everywhere-ended-polio-in-india [21] . Gautam, S. K. (2017). Mass media and Pulse Polio awareness campaign. International Journal of Reviews and Research in Social Sciences, 5(1). [22] . Joseph, N. (2011). A study of the knowledge and attitude towards pulse polio immunization in semi urban areas of South India. Australasian Medical Journal, 4(2), 81–86. DOI: 10.4066/amj.2011.532. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4066/amj.2011.532 [23] . Hume, S., John, P., Sanders, M., & Stockdale, E. (2021). Nudge in the time of coronavirus: Compliance to behavioural messages during crisis. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 4(2). DOI: 10.30636/jbpa.42.238. Available at: https://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.42.238 [24] . Sanders, J. G., Tosi, A., Obradovic, S., Miligi, I., & Delaney, L. (2021). Lessons from the UK's lockdown: Discourse on behavioural science in times of COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 647348. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647348. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647348 [25] . Dudas, L., & Szántó, R. (2021). Nudging in the time of coronavirus? Comparing public support for soft and hard preventive measures, highlighting the role of risk perception and experience. PLOS ONE, 16(8), e0256241. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256241. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256241 [26] . Debnath, R., & Bardhan, R. (2020). India nudges to contain COVID-19 pandemic: A reactive public policy analysis using machine-learning based topic modelling. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0238972. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238972. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238972 [27] . Apple Inc. (n.d.). SEC filings. Available at https://investor.apple.com/sec-filings/default.aspx [28] . Congiu, L., & Moscati, I. (2022). A review of nudges: Definitions, justifications, effectiveness. Journal of Economic Surveys, 36(1), 188–213. DOI: 10.1111/joes.12453. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12453 [29] . Kamenica, E. (2012). Behavioral economics and psychology of incentives. Annual Review of Economics, 4(1), 427–452. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-economics-080511-110909. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-080511-110909 [30] . Chen, R. (2025). Interactive of status quo bias and sunk costs from behavioral economics perspective. Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, 58, 150–155. [31] . Ericson, K. M. M., & Fuster, A. (2014). The endowment effect. Annual Review of Economics, 6(1), 555–579. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-economics-080213-041320. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-080213-041320 [32] . Apple. (n.d.). Environment. Available at: https://www.apple.com/environment/ [33] . Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
ABSTRACT: Traditional economic theory assumes that individuals make rational decisions to maximize utility; however real-world decision-making is frequently influenced by psychological, social and contextual factors. This study aims to examine how rationality, behavioral economics, incentives, technology and sustainability shape decision making in both the public and private sectors by drawing upon the concepts of bounded rationality, heuristics, choice architecture and nudge theory. Using a comparative case-study methodology based primarily on secondary qualitative evidence alongside descriptive quantitative data, the study examines India's Pulse Polio and Covid-19 vaccination campaigns alongside the firm Apple Inc. to compare how behavioral principles are applied to achieve distinct objectives, including improving public welfare and enhancing consumer engagement and business performance. The analysis demonstrates that rationality alone does not adequately explain observed patterns of decision making. Behavioral interventions such as nudges, social norms and incentives may have influenced individual choices while preserving freedom of choice, technology and sustainability further strengthened the effectiveness of these interventions by improving accessibility, long-term engagement and organisational outcomes. The study concludes that rationality and behavioral economics are complementary approaches to understanding decision making across the public and private sectors.

IJSSER is Member of