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　　The London games
　　The joy of the nudge Olympics
　　A highly successful Olympics contains two lessons for Britain’s policymakers. Only one is reassuring
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　　BY ANY measure Britain has shown the world—and its own sceptical population—that the country can stage a brilliant Olympics. As the games draw to a close on August 12th, David Cameron, the prime minister, will be delighted that the predicted “feel good factor” of hosting the event did indeed emerge. Even the sun has (mostly) shone.
　　In fact most Olympics work pretty well. But each host achieves that end by different means. In 2008 China staged a command-and-control games, shunting dissidents and other undesirables out of Beijing, ordering locals not to drive and even launching 1,100 cloud-seeding missiles before the opening ceremony to make it rain somewhere other than over the main stadium.
　　By contrast, the London games have been a “nudge” Olympics, where locals and visitors have been coaxed rather than coerced. Nudging, a theory developed by two American academics, Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler, is in vogue in Britain. In 2010 the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition set up a behavioural insight unit to consider how government might subtly steer people’s decisions.
　　Organisers have, for example, tried to make enjoyable Olympic experiences that might otherwise be annoying. The long trudge from Stratford station to the Olympic Park is lined with grinning volunteers, many shouting cheery messages reminding people that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Banners carry slogans: “You’re part of it.” Commentators rouse crowds in a similar way. It sounds cheesy, particularly for Britain. Yet it works.
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