1Cass’s Substack is a reader-supported publication.

Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)) has posted Interpretation Is Many Things on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The word “interpretation” covers a range of practices, including but not limited to the identification of intended meaning; use of original public meaning; and efforts both to fit and to justify existing materials. We can find different understandings of the word “interpretation” within and across fields, including literature, art, music, dance, and law.

Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)) has posted On Not Being “Trapped in Amber” on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In United States v. Rahimi, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the meaning of the Constitution is not “trapped in amber.” But it is possible to object that the meaning of the Constitution is fixed, and that to that extent, it is indeed trapped in amber.

How can the government reel in the technology? Here are six ideas.

Do people want information about animal welfare? What kinds of animal welfare information do they want, and what do they want to avoid? What motivates people to

Podcast Episode · Economics In Ten · 19 February · 1hr 5min

The word "interpretation" covers a range of practices, including but not limited to the identification of intended meaning; use of original public mea

Needed Now

Our World and Welcome to It

In United States v. Rahimi, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the meaning of the Constitution is not "trapped in amber." But it is possible to object t

The original Constitution was rooted in identifiable principles and commitments, including (1) a repudiation of monarchy in favor of republicanism;...

Markets are often portrayed as amoral realms of self-interest, yet empirical evidence shows that people in market societies consistently act morally. What explains the discrepancy? I argue that market...

The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends The Price of Happiness: Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay by Cass R. Sunstein. Here is a description: People often ‘miswant.’ They buy goods that do not make them happy and refuse to buy goods that would make their lives better. In The Price of Happiness, Cass R. Sunstein focuses on people’s ‘willingness to pay,’ which is the foundation for free markets.

YouTube video by Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Topic

Amazon.com: Normal Rationality: Decisions and Social Order: 9780198802433: Ullmann-Margalit, Edna, Sunstein, Cass R., Margalit, Avishai: Books

Two Routes to Freedom

Animals Matter: The Case for a Kinder World : Sunstein, Cass R.: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School; Harvard Kennedy School) and Jessie Layman have posted On the Flawed Architecture of Expert Evidence on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Courts often rely on expert witnesses to translate technical jargon and draw conclusions from complex evidence. Because of their epistemic disadvantages, factfinders are poorly equipped to evaluate the reliability of expert witness testimony. Instead, judges and juries tend to rely on cognitive shortcuts, deferring to an expert’s credentials, confidence, and delivery.

On the misleading effect of availability cascades

Some of the most intuitive and deeply held objections to paternalism point to autonomy. A central claim is that paternalism is objectionable even if it improves people’s lives, because it does not tre...

Amazon.com: The Price of Happiness: Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay: 9781009843652: Sunstein, Cass R.: Libros

Some of the most intuitive and deeply held objections to paternalism point to autonomy. A central claim is that paternalism is objectionable even if it improves people’s lives, because it does not tre...

A Fierce Advocate for Animal Welfare

Amazon.com: Decisions and Social Norms: 9781049422459: Ullmann-Margalit, Edna, Sunstein, Cass R.: Books

Some of the most intuitive and deeply held objections to paternalism point to autonomy. A central claim is that paternalism is objectionable even if it improves people’s lives, because it does not tre...

Upriver Press Book Review

The Langoliers Are Out In Full Force

The Price of Happiness: Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay [Sunstein, Cass R.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Price of Happiness: Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay

Justice Gorsuch vs. Vice President Vance

Cambridge Core - Macroeconomics - The Price of Happiness

YouTube video by Institute for Ethics in AI Oxford

Friedrich Hayek is a hero and an inspiration to conservatives all over the world, but in one of his sharpest essays, he explained why he is not a conservative.

Lessons from Friedrich Hayek

Abstract. In our 2025 book, Algorithmic Harm, we contend that the use of algorithms can benefit consumers in many ways (largely because of greater personal

The Emergence of Norms by Edna Ullmann-Margalit, reviewed by Cass R. Sunstein for The New Rambler Review of Books, Edited by Eric Posner, Adrian Vermeule and Blakey Vermeule

The Download of the Week is Restoration Narratives by Cass R. Sunstein. Here is the abstract: There are narratives of constitutional restoration. They have immense appeal, and they appear to be on the ascendency. They take the following stylized form: “At the time of the founding, a constitutional provision meant X. Almost everyone understood that it meant X. At some point after the authoritative moment, an inexcusable and even shocking blunder was made.

Amazon.com: Decisions and Social Norms: 9781049422459: Ullmann-Margalit, Edna, Sunstein, Cass R.: Books

Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School) has posted Restoration Narratives on SSRN. Here is the abstract: There are narratives of constitutional restoration. They have immense appeal, and they appear to be on the ascendency. They take the following stylized form: “At the time of the founding, a constitutional provision meant X. Almost everyone understood that it meant X. At some point after the authoritative moment, an inexcusable and even shocking blunder was made.

YouTube video by Letterman

It is America’s 250th.

AbstractBackground. Atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) are important causes of morbidity and increase stroke risk, particularly after conver

There are narratives of constitutional restoration. They have immense appeal, and they appear to be on the ascendency. They take the following stylized form: &q