Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez

I have Ph.D. in Philosophy from the UNED university of Spain. I previously completed both my BA and MA in Philosophy at the Complutense University of Madrid. My academic formation lies at the intersection of philosophy of social sciences and behavioral economics.

My research focuses on the philosophical foundations of Behavioral Public Policy (BPP), particularly on how different conceptions of rationality—bounded, ecological, and normative—shape the design and ethical evaluation of public policy interventions. I examine tools such as nudges, boosts, sludges, and choice architecture, analyzing their epistemological assumptions and their implications for autonomy, justice, virtue, and well-being, with applications to corruption, public health, gender-based violence, sustainability, and poverty.

I am currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. I am also affiliated with the Prague Center for Behavioral Experiments, where I serve as faculty and coordinator in the Behavioral Public Policy and Evolutionary Behavioral Economics track of its summer school. Previously, I have held academic appointments at High Point University, Appalachian State University, and I have served as an expert consultant for GlaxoSmithKline on global vaccine confidence initiatives informed by behavioral science.

I have published in leading international journals, including Behavioural Public Policy, Review of Behavioral Economics, Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, and Behanomics. Recent articles include Rationality Wars: Epistemological Boundaries and the Limits of Reductionism (2025) and Behavioral Strategies for Reducing Corruption: From Regulation to Choice Architecture (2024), the latter of which received the Best Research Project in Behavioral Economics Prize from the Behavioral Economics Scientific Society. I have also authored invited book chapters for volumes published by UNAM and the College of Economists of Madrid.

I regularly present my work at international conferences in Behavioral Public Policy, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), and Philosophy of Economics, and I have delivered keynote lectures in Spain, Ecuador, and the Czech Republic. I am actively involved in the field as a reviewer for more than fifteen international journals, including Behavioural Public Policy, Synthese, Policy and Society, and Public Health Ethics, and I serve on the International Advisory Board of the International Behavioral Public Policy Association and the Board of Directors of the Behavioral Economics Scientific Society.