The Behavioral Code, Benjamin van Rooij
The Behavioral Code, Benjamin van Rooij
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The Behavioral Code
The Hidden Ways the Law Makes Us Better . or Worse

Author: Benjamin van Rooij, Adam Fine

Narrator: Danny Hughes

Unabridged: 9 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/26/2021

Synopsis

An American Psychology-Law Society’s Lawrence S. Wrightsman Book Award Winner

A 2022 PROSE Award finalist in Legal Studies and Criminology

A 2022 American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award Finalist

A Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Book of 2021

Freakonomics for the law—how applying behavioral science to the law can fundamentally change and explain misbehavior

Why do most Americans wear seatbelts but continue to speed even though speeding fines are higher? Why could park rangers reduce theft by removing “no stealing” signs? Why was a man who stole 3 golf clubs sentenced to 25 years in prison?

Some laws radically change behavior whereas others are consistently ignored and routinely broken. And yet we keep relying on harsh punishment against crime despite its continued failure.

Professors Benjamin van Rooij and Adam Fine draw on decades of research to uncover the behavioral code: the root causes and hidden forces that drive human behavior and our responses to society’s laws. In doing so, they present the first accessible analysis of behavioral jurisprudence, which will fundamentally alter how we understand the connection between law and human behavior.

The Behavioral Code offers a necessary and different approach to battling crime and injustice that is based in understanding the science of human misconduct—rather than relying on our instinctual drive to punish as a way to shape behavior. The book reveals the behavioral code’s hidden role through illustrative examples like:

   • The illusion of the US’s beloved tax refund
   • German walls that “pee back” at public urinators
   • The $1,000 monthly “good behavior” reward that reduced gun violence
   • Uber’s backdoor “Greyball” app that helped the company evade Seattle’s taxi regulators
   • A $2.3 billion legal settlement against Pfizer that revealed how whistleblower protections fail to reduce corporate malfeasance
   • A toxic organizational culture playing a core role in Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal
   • How Peter Thiel helped Hulk Hogan sue Gawker into oblivion

Revelatory and counterintuitive, The Behavioral Code catalyzes the conversation about how the law can effectively improve human conduct and respond to some of our most pressing issues today, from police misconduct to corporate malfeasance.

About The Author

Benjamin van Rooij, PhD, is a professor in law and society and the director of research at the School of Law at the University of Amsterdam and the Global Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. Findings from his 2 decades of academic work have been featured in the New York Times, The Hill, NPR, and Huffington Post. His research on law and behavior was awarded a highly competitive and prestigious 2-million-Euro grant by the European Research Council.Adam Fine, PhD, is an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice and of law and behavioral sciences at Arizona State University. His award-winning work has been funded by the US Department of Justice and a Visionary Grant from the American Psychological Foundation. His 40-plus publications have routinely appeared in the top journals in psychology and law, developmental psychology, public policy, criminology, and criminal justice.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Noemi on October 14, 2023

This book is very readable and easy to understand. It highlights the root causes of how law shapes behaviour, and it gives empirical evidence for the different methods as well as highlights the limitations and complications (which I believe is crucial in grasping the complexity of 'the behavioural c......more

Goodreads review by Niek on December 16, 2021

The Behavioral Code is not your average popular science book. Sure, it's an accessible read and there are attention grabbing stories from practice to introduce academic findings. But what makes this book stand out is that it is heavy on the science. Essentially, The Behavioral Code reviews the curre......more

Goodreads review by Carson on July 14, 2023

The Behavioral Code is an insightful and interesting book everyone should read! Based entirely on reputable and honest scientific evidence, it explores how humans actually behave in response to the law. Laws have been around for centuries, with the same intention: to keep us safe from harm. However......more

Goodreads review by Kennedy on June 20, 2022

I think this is an essential book for people working in law, criminal justice, law enforcement, policy making, etc. I also recommend it for behavioral scientists, particularly those doing work / thinking about how policy, systems, and behavior interact. On a technical / academic note, there were a fe......more

Goodreads review by MIKE on January 01, 2022

This book is similar to Lawrence Friedman's book "Impact: How Law Affects Behavior" in that it explores the often neglected psychological components that make the law function. I would recommend both books because Friedman's book dives more so into the impact aspect of how current law shapes behavior......more

Quotes

“A timely contribution to the ever-growing literature on the use of behavioural sciences in regulatory governance (and public policy more broadly).”
—From the Regulatory Frontlines

"The entire book is an exposition on shaping laws and codes to “human and organizational behavior” that should be a foundational part of any compliance library."
—Compliance Week

"...this book is treading new ground by diving much deeper into the value that behaviorally oriented research has to offer to regulatory governance. It is a much needed contribution to the literature on how insights from behaviorally oriented research can be used more fully to improve the quality of law and regulation."
—Regulation and Governance

“A fascinating book with crucial implications—from the successes and dysfunctions of entire societies to our own everyday behavior.”
—Robert M. Sapolsky, author of Behave

“This brilliant and foundational text, beautifully written and compelling, will launch a long-needed movement. . . . The current system is deeply unjust; this book points a clear way to making it much more just.”
—Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School

“An excellent and urgent reminder of how behavioral science is essential to our understanding of law.”
—Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion

“Accessible, timely, and compelling, The Behavioral Code explores the vast literature concerning punishment and provides a blueprint for reforming the criminal justice system.”
—Erwin Chemerinsky, dean, UC Berkeley School of Law

“Through fresh and fascinating analysis, The Behavioral Code has the potential to lead policymakers to make wiser decisions to pass laws that make the most sense given how humans actually behave.”
—Max H. Bazerman, author of Better, Not Perfect and Blind Spots

“If you’ve ever dreamed of a legal system that’s informed by behavioral science, this book could very well move us one step closer to making your dream a reality.”
—Adam Grant, author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

“A fantastically engaging look at how legal codes—from how we drive to how we serve food to how we reduce harm—guide every aspect of our lives. . . . Anyone who cares about making our society a safer place should read this book.”
—Elizabeth F. Loftus, former president, Association for Psychological Science

“Van Rooij and Fine challenge us to a new mindset, one that tests our theories and intuitions with scientific methods and empirical evidence.”
—Hui Chen, former Compliance Counsel Expert, US Department of Justice

“Whether the issue is wearing a face mask, complying with a police request, or accepting the results of an election, the ability to motivate people to follow rules is central to the viability of our own, or any other, society. . . . An engagingly written, timely, and compelling read.”
—Tom Tyler, Macklin Fleming Professor of Law and professor of psychology, Yale University

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