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Comment by indescions_2017 | Hacker News Reader

indescions_2017

Excellent pick! Applied "nudge theory," or "libertarian paternalism," is proving to be the panacea for massive social change. From NYC's decision to offer free lunches for all public school students. To the design of recycle bins in Amsterdam. Simple yet intuitive communication of the optimality of rational choosing, without penalizing too harshly our irrational tendencies.

I think the next logical extension of neuroeconomics is neuropolitics. Viewing powerplays between Trump <--> Kim or Netanyahu <--> Putin through the lens of game theory where all actors are moving optimally toward a "win" condition provides diminishing returns. Watching leaders actions as the result of irrational biases operating with imperfect information is proving a closer model of reality.

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> Watching leaders actions as the result of irrational biases operating with imperfect information is proving a closer model of reality.

At that level, one usually expects the actors to conform to the "rational actor" model, and in modern history, they actually do so, by and large. Kim-Jong Il and his father, for example, have been doing this for decades. And their continued survival is a testament to their skill.

It's only Trump who acts like the political equivalent of a compass that always points south. And even he is no enigma if you just picture him as the protagonist of a really campy western from the 50s.

> From NYC's decision to offer free lunches for all public school students.

Wait, what?! Why would the city spend money on subsidising the lunch of children with parents rich enough to send them to a public school?

I think in the United States, 'public school' means the exact opposite of what it means elsewhere - there it means a school run by the city that anyone can go to.

You might be surprised to hear this, but New York city is in America. Thus while Public School in the UK are privately owned, elitist, and tuition charging, in America it is the opposite. In America public schools are the schools the public attend which the state finances.

> You might be surprised to hear this, but New York city is in America

Please don't break the rules by posting snark here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I've always found this stupid in the UK. Not only do we call paid for schools Public Schools, but we simultaneously call them Private Schools. It makes no sense!

[EDIT] wrong parent, right thread. Meant to reply to chrisseaton

Only seven schools in the UK are actually 'public schools'. It's a precise legal status. So 'private school' and 'public school' does not mean the same thing.

Originally they were the only schools that educated members of the general public, rather than people just from the local village or church or things like that, so the name does make sense.

Oooo, thanks for that! Know of anything where I can read more / see the legal definitions?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Schools_Act_1868

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