Free to Fail? Paternalistic Preferences in the United States

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ID: 337786
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This paper examines paternalistic preferences in two large-scale experiments with participants from the US general population. Participants decide whether to intervene when a stakeholder is about to make a choice misaligned with the stakeholder’s own preferences. Willingness to intervene depends on which intervention is available: only a minority implements a hard intervention, which restricts the stakeholder’s choice set, while a majority implements a soft intervention that provides information without restricting choice. A substantial share of participants does not defer to the stakeholder’s stated preferences when evaluating welfare. Our framework estimates that about half are welfarists and a third libertarian paternalists.
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openalex_W7224390770 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Björn Bartling, Alexander W. Cappelen, Henning Hermes, Marit Skivenes, Bertil Tungodden
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Journal the economic journal
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/ej/ueag136
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueag136
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