Cass Sunstein is a legal scholar and professor at the University of Chicago who co-authored the influential 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness with Richard Thaler. The book became foundational to behavioral economics and technology platform design.

Sunstein and Thaler developed the concept of "libertarian paternalism" in their 2003 paper, contending that designers and policymakers inevitably shape outcomes for millions through the choices they make.

While Sunstein did not personally teach at the July 2008 Edge Foundation masterclass on behavioral economics, his collaborative work with Thaler supplied the intellectual foundation for the course. Jeffrey Epstein funded the Edge Foundation, which connected technology leaders who would deploy these behavioral economics principles globally.

Sources

Sunstein and Thaler, "Libertarian Paternalism Is Not an Oxymoron," 2003; "Nudge," 2008; Dave Troy, "Part Three: What was Epstein's 'Edge' agenda?" America 2.0, September 2025.