Law and Norms: Empirical Evidence

Lane, Tom; Nosenzo, Daniele; Sonderegger, Silvia

Abstract

A large theoretical literature argues laws exert a causal effect on norms, but empirical evidence remains scant. Using a novel identification strategy, we provide a compelling empirical test of this proposition. We use incentivized vignette experiments to directly measure social norms relating to actions subject to legal thresholds. Our large-scale experiments (n = 7,000) run in the United Kingdom, United States, and China show that laws can causally influence social norms. Results are robust across different samples and methods of measuring norms, and are consistent with a model of social image concerns where individuals care about the inferences others make about their underlying prosociality.

Citation

Lane, T., Nosenzo, D., & Sonderegger, S. (2023). Law and Norms: Empirical Evidence. American Economic Review, 113(5), 1255-1293. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20210970

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 21, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 5, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-05
• Deposit Date: Mar 27, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 5, 2023
• Journal: American Economic Review
• Print ISSN: 0002-8282
• Electronic ISSN: 1944-7981
• Publisher: American Economic Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 113
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1255-1293
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20210970
• Keywords: Social Norms; Law; Expressive Function of Law
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/18995932
• Publisher URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20210970&from=f