Simple rules hold promise for public policy.

AuthorKavanagh, Shayne
PositionThe Bookshelf - Book review

Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World

Donald Sull and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015, 288 pages, $27

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Many people struggle with losing weight and other chronic conditions that are aggravated by a poor diet. Nutritional author Michael Pollan provides three guidelines to help people eat better: 1) eat real (not processed) food; 2) don't eat too much; and 3) eat mostly plants. A comprehensive review of the scientific research on diet confirms that Pollan's rules can reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart attacks.

Pollan's guidelines are an example of what Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt call "simple rules." Simple rules are way to make effective and efficient decisions. They work by streamlining complex situations into easy-to-use rules of thumb. Simple rules can be used in day-to-day life, like creating healthy eating habits, but are also widely used in complex business and public policy decisions. Here are just a few examples of where simple rules have been used:

* How the Federal Reserve fixes interest rates.

* How the State of California protects marine wildlife.

* How Tina Fey produced the hit comedy, 30 Rock.

* How the White Stripes recorded a critically acclaimed album, White Blood Cells, in just 10 days.

Simple rules are also behind many seemingly complex phenomena we observe in the natural world, such as when crickets decide to chirp, how flocking birds stay coordinated in the air, and how bees find a new nest.

ADDRESSING COMPLEXITY

Simple rules have immense potential for public policy applications. It has almost become a truism that the world which local governments inhabit is becoming increasingly complex. Addressing complexity with more complexity (i.e., detailed procedures, policies, plans, etc.) often delivers unsatisfactory results. This is because meeting complexity with complexity often creates more confusion. Sull and Eisenhardt give an example that public finance officials can easily appreciate: the United States income tax code. As of 2010, it was 3.8 million words long, which is seven times longer than War and Peace. One might think that this level of detail would guarantee crystal clear answers to questions of personal tax liability. Of course, it does not. Sull and Eisenhardt cite a study showing that when 45 tax preparers were asked to calculate the tax bill for the same hypothetical family, they produced 45 different answers, ranging from $36,322 to $94,438. You will probably not need to think too hard in order to come up with other examples of "exhaustive" public policy documents that create comparable levels of confusion in their implementation. When confronted with too much complexity, people become overwhelmed, increasing the odds they will stop following...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT