Publishers Weekly
05/25/2020
Harvard Law School professor Sunstein (Conformity) considers the legal, social, and psychological implications of government-mandated information disclosures in this nuanced account. Contending that nutrition labels, restaurant menu calorie counts, credit card bill late fees, and other mandated disclosures should be evaluated on whether they “increase human well-being,” rather than simply provided as part of the public’s “right to know,” Sunstein parses the “hedonic value,” or pleasure, people take in knowing—or not knowing—something, and the “instrumental value” people assign to information based on how they can use it. He compiles data on consumers’ “willingness to pay” for tire safety rankings and the potential side effects of pain medication; contends that the positive and negative feelings associated with such disclosures should be given more weight than they currently are; and outlines potential benefits and limitations to a system of “personalized disclosure,”in which the government mandates certain basic information, but makes further details available to those who want it through apps and other technologies. Readers with a background in the social sciences and moral philosophy will have an easier time engaging than generalists, though Sunstein writes in clear, accessible language throughout. This balanced and well-informed take illuminates an obscure but significant corner of government policy making. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
The book actually delivers something stranger and more interesting than the announced thesis: a tour of human biases that end up creating 'behavioral market failures.' Too Much Information doesn’t replace that generational certainty with a new one, but it does make it impossible to continue regarding information disclosure as an uncomplicated good.”
– New York Times Book Review
"Sunstein's book is an invaluable font of information about the many burdens of disclosing too much information."
–Reason
"An accessible treatise on the need to ensure that information improves citizens’ wellbeing with a narrative [that] is clear and relatable."
– Kirkus Reviews
“Sunstein writes in clear, accessible language throughout. This balanced and well-informed take illuminates an obscure but significant corner of government policy making.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Anyone who’s ever tried to read Apple’s Terms & Conditions contract knows what this Harvard Law prof is talking about as he weighs the legal and psychological implications, as well as the benefits and drawbacks, of information disclosure.”
–The Globe & Mail
"Classic Cass Sunstein: Keen insights and bracingly clear prose fill every page. The chapter on Facebook alone is a compelling reason to read Too Much Information."
– Robert H. Frank, H. J. Louis Professor of Management and Professor of Economics, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management; author of Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work
"Once again Cass Sunstein shows that evaluating policy questions with evidence and rigor not only leads to better governance but can be intellectually exhilarating."
– Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author of Enlightenment Now
"Years at the White House uniquely prepared Cass — a worldrenowned behavioral scientist — to write this important book. His mustread arguments about when governments should and should not require companies to disclose information draw on entertaining anecdotes supported by rigorous research."
– Katy Milkman, Professor, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; host of the Choiceology podcast
"Cass Sunstein offers a unique and incredibly valuable perspective on information and how it affects people’s choices, presented in a masterful way."
– Linda Thunstrom, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Wyoming
"Sunstein offers an endless supply of thoughtprovoking and accessible examples to highlight the fascinating questions at the heart of information disclosure policy. This book changed how I think about what information to seek out in my own life."
– Jacob Goldin, Associate Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Kirkus Reviews
2020-06-13
A former presidential adviser considers the complexities of information disclosure.
Sunstein, a legal scholar who, in the Obama White House, oversaw federal regulations that required disclosure about such matters as nutrition and workplace safety, opens his latest book by asking, “When should government require companies, employers, hospitals, and others to disclose information?” His short answer: whenever doing so makes people happier or helps them make decisions. But as he notes, “Whether it’s right to disclose bad news depends on the people and the situation. One size does not fit all.” In these essays, Sunstein addresses key questions policymakers should consider when deciding whether to disclose or request information. Topics include the reasons people might or might not want information (a friend joked that he “ruined popcorn” after the FDA finalized a regulation that movie theaters and restaurants had to disclose caloric content); the psychological factors to consider when designing disclosures, such as that some people don’t read them, especially when, as with software downloads, they’re long; and the value people place on social media, an essay in which he notes a paradox: “the use of Facebook makes people, on average, a bit less happy—more likely to be depressed, more likely to be anxious, less satisfied with their lives,” yet many people “would demand a lot of money to give it up.” Despite the use of jargon such as “hedonic loss” and “availability heuristics,” the narrative is clear and relatable. Sunstein even delivers a few zingers, as when he notes in the chapter on “sludge,” the term for the excessive paperwork people wade through to cancel magazine subscriptions or sign up for free school meals: “The Department of the Treasury, and the IRS in particular, win Olympic gold for sludge production.”
An accessible treatise on the need to ensure that information improves citizens’ well-being.