Using the Nudge Theory in Improving Security Policies and Crime Prevention: Integrative Review

Abstract

The "Nudge" Theory is considered one of the most recent theories, which is clear in the economic, health, and educational sectors, due to the intensity of studies on it and its applications, but it has not yet been included in crime prevention studies. The use of  Nudge theory appears to enrich the theory in the field of crime prevention, and to provide modern, effective, and implementable mechanisms.

The study deals with the "integrative review" approach, which is a distinctive form of research that generates new knowledge on a topic through reviewing, criticizing, and synthesizing representative literature on the topic in an integrated manner so that new frameworks and perspectives are created around it.

The study is based on the literature of behavioral economics, with a focus on three basic and recent theories: nudges, fast and slow thinking, and chaos bias. All of them confirm that the ordinary person acts spontaneously, and makes his daily decisions according to what is available, without thinking and contemplation. Thus, they bear characteristics that the security researcher can employ in preventing crime and designing security policies.

Many of the results of studies using poke and behavioral economics theories in crime prevention emphasized the reduction of crime rates, and yielded positive results in preventing crime, rather than combating it, especially in the field of urban planning, shop design, afforestation, lighting, and paving of streets, which encourages the turnout of individuals to it and causes a natural social interaction that prevents the criminal from being motivated to commit his crime.

The study recommends giving more attention to studies about uses of the nudge theory, developing the design of security policies in crime prevention, and supporting modern security studies and security policy studies.