The theoretical basis for this paper are issues of behavioural economics that question a standard assumption of homo oeconomicus and provide knowledge on the way people make
decisions. It refers mainly to extraordinary situations such as, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic. The article draws also on Thaler’s nudge theory, which claims that some aspects of behavioural theory might be successfully used to shape public policies using appropriate tools (simplicities, default options, framing, approximation of consequences, design, or reference to social norms).