Comments on: The importance of defaults http://clubtroppo.com.au/2006/11/17/the-importance-of-defaults/ Fearlessly dispensing political, legal and economic analysis (and some whimsy) since 2002 Wed, 23 May 2012 14:55:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Frank Ashe http://clubtroppo.com.au/2006/11/17/the-importance-of-defaults/#comment-63133 Frank Ashe Fri, 17 Nov 2006 03:21:46 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2006/11/17/the-importance-of-defaults/#comment-63133 It's fundamentally a laziness problem. To set the defaults requires thinking beyond the minimum that needs to be done to set up, whatever the system. Most groups don't bother, unless there is a way to structure a default that they perceive is greatly in their favour. The sadness for Australia is that politicians and senior bureaucrats seem to share this laziness, even when there are indications that suitable defaults would produce advantages for the country. It’s fundamentally a laziness problem. To set the defaults requires thinking beyond the minimum that needs to be done to set up, whatever the system. Most groups don’t bother, unless there is a way to structure a default that they perceive is greatly in their favour.

The sadness for Australia is that politicians and senior bureaucrats seem to share this laziness, even when there are indications that suitable defaults would produce advantages for the country.

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