Cass Sunstein

Cass Sunstein is a Harvard law professor who specializes in constitutional law and behavioral economics. Before he joined the faculty at Harvard he was a colleague of Barack Obama's at the University of Chicago for many years. He is currently head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The OIRA is a division of the Office of Management and Budget. Its role is to review federal regulations to ensure that adequate cost benefit analysis has been done and other established principles have been followed.

Sunstein co-authored a book with economist Richard Thaler called Nudge, in which they point out that entirely unregulated markets can be cruel and inefficient, but that government regulation and mandates often do more harm than good. Instead of mandates they recommend that the government do things to help “nudge” things into a more efficient direction, for example by public information disclosure so people can make more informed decisions.

As an example they give the suggestion that the government take an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions produced by companies and make the information publicly available. Companies will have the incentive to reduce their emissions, since nobody will want to be known as one of the top polluters. Consumers could choose whether or not to support the companies that emit the most greenhouse gases.

Cass Sunstein is vegetarian and an animal advocate. He has never publicly stated whether or not he is vegan. He does not advocate the abolition of the use of animals as property, but rather approaches the issue of animal rights from the perspective of law and behavioral economics. He believes that animals are currently subjected to unjustified suffering and that attitudes and policies should be reevaluated.

Sunstein argues that all reasonable people believe in animal rights, and he is in favor of strengthening existing anticruelty laws and improving their enforcement. He also advocates extending anticruelty laws to include farming and animal experimentation, areas that are currently exempt from them.

In Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions, Sunstein explains his approach to the treatment of animals: "Everything depends on whether and to what extent the animal in question is capable of suffering. If rats are able to suffer, then their interests are relevant to the question of how, and perhaps even whether, they can be expelled from houses." (p.12)

He does not believe that animals deserve to be free from all human control, and has stated that if treated well, many animals will live better lives if they are removed from the harsh environment of the wild than they would without human interference. His focus is on issues of animal welfare and suffering, and how to make human use and control of animals compatible with the well-being of animals.

Sunstein is in favor of banning hunting, and has argued for a phasing out of meat eating. He also thinks that "animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives." (Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions). His appointment has the potential to influence other areas of life where animals are used as well, including rodeos, circuses, and the use of animal byproducts.

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