Episode
Professor Yuval Feldman on Can The Public Be Trusted?
- Podcast
- The Human Risk Podcast
- Published
- Nov 23, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3919
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411/episodes/professor-yuval-feldman-on-can-the-public-be-trusted/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411/professor-yuval-feldman-on-can-the-public-be-trusted.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Why do governments rely on coercion and punishment when voluntary cooperation often produces better, more sustainable outcomes? Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined once again by Professor Yuval Feldman , who returns to explore the core question behind his latest book: Can The Public Be Trusted? Instead of asking how much we trust our governments, Yuval flips the script, asking how much governments trust us, and whether that trust is deserved. Together, we dive into the concept of voluntary compliance, where people follow rules not because they’re forced to, but because they believe in doing the right thing. We unpack the complexity of this idea through real-world examples, from tax compliance to environmental policy to COVID-19 interventions. Yuval explains why people who think they’re ethical can actually be the hardest to regulate, and how misplaced trust can lead to serious regulatory blind spots. We also explore the psychological tension between intrinsic motivation and external enforcement, and why regulators often default to command-and-control, even when trust might offer a better solution. As ever, Yuval makes nuanced, sophisticated ideas feel accessible and immediately relevant. You'll hear about the role of culture, the limits of nudging, why economists might (sometimes!) actually be right about human behaviour and how AI might help policymakers make better decisions. Guest Bio Professor Yuval Feldman is a legal scholar and behavioural scientist at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. A returning guest and the podcast’s very first interviewee, Yuval is internationally renowned for his work at the intersection of law, psychology, and behavioural economics. His new book, Can The Public Be Trusted? The Promise and Perils of Voluntary Compliance is available op…