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Teaching Norms: Direct Evidence of Parental Transmission

Author

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  • Thijs Brouwer

    (Department of economics, Tilburg University - Tilburg University [Netherlands])

  • Fabio Galeotti
  • Marie Claire Villeval

    (GATE Lyon Saint-Étienne - Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon - Saint-Etienne - ENS de Lyon - École normale supérieure de Lyon - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - UJM - Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We examine the educative role played by parents in social norm transmission. Using a field experiment, we study whether parents enforce and comply more with norms when their children are present compared to when they are not. We compare similar parents when or after they bring or pick up their children at school. We find that parents accompanying children, in contrast to parents alone, are more likely to punish norm violators and to provide help to strangers when there is no violation. They also tend to substitute more direct punishment with withholding help as a means of indirect punishment.

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  • Thijs Brouwer & Fabio Galeotti & Marie Claire Villeval, 2022. "Teaching Norms: Direct Evidence of Parental Transmission," Working Papers hal-03725575, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03725575
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-03725575
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    2. Maja Adena & Michalis Drouvelis & Steffen Huck, 2023. "Introduction to the special issue on ‘new directions in understanding philanthropic activities’," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 75(4), pages 885-889.
    3. Lidia Farré & Cristina Felfe & Libertad González Luna & Patrick Schneider, 2022. "Changing gender norms across generations: Evidence from a paternity leave reform," Economics Working Papers 1812, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

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    Keywords

    Field Experiment; Social Norms; Transmission; Parenting;
    All these keywords.

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