Nudging as a new "soft" policy tool : an assessment of the definitional scope of nudges, practical implementation possibilities and their effectiveness

The idea of nudging has become increasingly popular in both academic and political circles. There are, however, many different interpretations of the term 'nudge' which blurs its scope. In this paper, the authors focus on the conceptualization of nudges and its functionality in reference to the Dual Process models. Further, they discuss the potential applications of nudging as an important extension of the current policy toolkit. In particular, the authors assess the potential of nudges to support habit formation and enhance the performance of the 'classical' economic instruments when used in the so-called instrument mix.