A nuanced nudge or a paternalistic push for health? Over the past few months, Luc Bovens has been involved in a series of discussions on the ethics of  “nudging”.

The influential Nudge Theory has many applications, one of which is public health. On 11 May, Luc Bovens gave a presentation, “Obesity and Alcoholism: Behavioural Policies”, at Influencing Healthy Life Styles: The Ethical Debate, a symposium organised by the Republic of Ireland’s Department of Health. You can find out more in this video.

As well as this, The Medical Independent recently published an article, “A nuanced ‘nudge’ or a paternalistic push for health?”, in which Bovens discusses the ethical issues surrounding the use of Nudge.