How Change Happens

Sunstein's book is illuminating because it puts norms at the center of how we think about change.

David Brooks

The New York Times

It's often said that the only constancy in life is change. Cass Sunstein weaves threads from diverse traditions in behavioral science to explain how big shifts get started.

Angela Duckworth, Founder and CEO of Character Lab and Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania; author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

If you think you'd like to change something—another person, an organization, or even your  society—then try this test: Pick up this book and read five pages. If you don't have your eyes opened with a fresh insight or useful tool, well, you're probably not serious enough about making change.

Chip Heath, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business; coauthor of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

For those lamenting the status quo, and questioning whether change is possible, Cass Sunstein provides a ray of hope. Integrating insights from his own, and others', research on topics such as social norms, group polarization, and pluralistic ignorance with his intimate knowledge of law and public policy, Sunstein provides a road map of how change can and does happen. Characteristically wise and erudite, How Change Happens is a must-read for those who want to understand, and help to instigate, social change.

George Loewenstein, Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University

Many prominent scholars write about why desirable changes occur in some contexts but not others. None brings to the challenge the breadth of Cass Sunstein, or his depth of insight into the complexities involved. How Change Happens provides a breathtaking tour of the vast intellectual landscape on the subject, bringing into focus critical elements of the topography and interactions among its features. Academics and the wider public alike will benefit from Sunstein's profound ideas, lucid exposition, and engaging writing.

Timur Kuran, Professor of Economics and Political Science, Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University

Cass Sunstein's new book is a tour de force exploring one of the most urgent problems of our time: how and why seemingly stable societal norms collapse and long-standing institutions come apart. Containing a feast of ideas on policy intervention, the book is bound to open up new avenues of research, and deserves to be read by students of economics, law, and politics.

Kaushik Basu, Professor of Economics and Carl Marks Professor of International Studies, Cornell University

In this dense and technical, but illuminating, work influenced by behavioral science and political philosophy, legal scholar and policy theorist Sunstein (Nudge) further develops his ideas on how changes in attitude and behavior ought to happen.... This is a work that demands—but rewards—the reader's full attention. Starred Review.

Publishers Weekly

Sunstein's book is illuminating because it puts norms at the center of how we think about change.

The New York Times