Stop smoking, eat less, exercise more, pay your taxes on time. So many things governments want us to do; so hard to get us to do them.Shaun Ley speaks to behavioural economist Richard Thaler who thinks he has the answer. It's called 'nudge' theory, but it's not just an academic idea. Britain's Prime Minister is so impressed, he's set up a whole 'nudge unit' in the heart of his government. If you live in Britain, you may unwittingly already be part of a nudge experiment. So is the nudge guru teaching those in power how to encourage us to live better; or helping politicians to control us?

Stop smoking, eat less, exercise more, pay your taxes on time. So many things governments want us to do; so hard to get us to do them. Shaun Ley speaks to behavioural economist Richard Thaler who thinks he has the answer. It's called 'nudge' theory, but it's not just an academic idea. Britain's Prime Minister is so impressed, he's set up a whole 'nudge unit' in the heart of his government. If you live in Britain, you may unwittingly already be part of a nudge experiment. So is the nudge guru teaching those in power how to encourage us to live better; or helping politicians to control us?

Richard Thaler - Behavioural economist

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Conversations with people shaping our world, from all around the globe. Listen to The Interview for the best conversations from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. We hear from titans of business, politics, finance, sport and culture. Global leaders, decision-makers and cultural icons. Politicians, activists and CEOs. Each interview is around 20-minutes, packed full of insight and analysis, covering some of the biggest issues of our time. How does it work? Well, at the BBC, our journalists interview amazing people every single day. And on The Interview, we bring them to you. It’s your one-stop-shop to the best conversations coming out of the BBC, with the people shaping our world, from all over the world. Get in touch with us on emailTheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

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