Government policies and policy recommendations in behavioral economics

Behavioral economics is an interdisciplinary field that brings together the science of economics and psychology on a common ground, and it is accepted as one of the sub-branches of economics. Behavioral economics; It is an area that has grown in popularity in recent years. In this sense, the reflections of behavioral economics in different fields are the subject of research. One of these areas is public policy. Knowing beforehand the attitudes and behaviors of the economic decision-makers within the framework of behavioral economics while determining public policies by policy makers will affect the success of policies. In addition, it may be beneficial to use behavioral economics in determining the public policies to be implemented in order to increase social welfare. In the studies of Kahneman and Thaler, public policies began to be formed by applying the theoretical knowledge in practice. Thus, the field of behavioral public policies was born. Behavioral public policies; It aims to increase the welfare of the society or target individuals with soft interventions created by using behavioral economics, behavioral science and poking practices of public institutions. In the study, expectations, behavioral economics and nudging practices are explained and institutions working on behavioral public policies and their studies are tried to be explained. In addition, the situation of Turkey in behavioral public policies has been tried to be examined. Turkish literature on the subject has been very limited. The importance of this study is that it is expected to be an exemplary study that is expected to contribute to the Turkish literature. In terms of society, it is seen that the interventions created with behavioral public policies are more effective and can be compared to other interventions. In addition to harsh interventions such as prohibitions and taxes in behavioral public policies, interventions can also be made on issues that affect the welfare of the society such as nutrition, organ donation, and savings. Behavioral public policy practices in Turkey have also remained limited. This study is informative about policy practices and is important in terms of setting an example. In this context, it is important to examine other public institutions in the world and the behavioral public policies implemented by these institutions. In the study, questions were asked whether behavioral economics can be adapted to public policies, can social welfare be increased with public policies determined within the framework of the field, in which areas public policies can be formed within the framework of behavioral economics in Turkey and what results will be obtained.The aim of the study is to investigate the applications of behavioral economics within the scope of public policies in the world; It is to reveal in which areas they can be used in Turkey and to offer various suggestions for this KEYWORDS: Behavioral Economics, Government Policies, Behavioral Public Policies, Nudge, Prospect Theory