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Norms as obligations

Author

Listed:
  • Hoeft, Leonard
  • Kurschilgen, Michael
  • Mill, Wladislaw

Abstract

Economists model legal compliance as the process of maximizing utility while weighing the consequences from norm violation against other (monetary and non-monetary) considerations. Legal philosophers, on the other hand, believe that the normative side of law is central. Citizens comply because they have an obligation to do so. Legal norms provide exclusionary reasons that prevent weighing up on other issues. We test and compare both models in a controlled online experiment. We conduct a modified dictator game with partially unknown yet ascertainable payoffs, and vary between treatments the presence and content of authoritative norms. Our experimental results show that – in the presence of a norm – participants follow norms without searching for information that they deem important in the absence of a norm. This pattern is independent of the specific content of the norm. Our results are consistent with the legal model of norm compliance.

Suggested Citation

  • Hoeft, Leonard & Kurschilgen, Michael & Mill, Wladislaw, 2025. "Norms as obligations," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0144818824000553
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irle.2024.106235
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Norms; Information; Authority; Willful ignorance; Dictator game; Legal theory; Experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • K10 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - General (Constitutional Law)

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