Fighting polarization with (parental) internalization

Moti Michaeli and Jiabin Wu ()

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2022, vol. 194, issue C, 124-138

Abstract: Growing polarization has been a rising concern in recent years all around the world. How can governments effectively fight it? In a dynamic model of inter-generational cultural transmission we show that polarization could be driven by the attempt of parents to instill extreme values in their children in anticipation of the pressure to conform that will be imposed on the children by their peers. However, this extremist tendency is mitigated if parents put a sufficiently large weight on their children’s disutility from peer pressure and try to reduce it – rather than counterbalance it – by instilling in the children conformist rather than extreme values. Increasing awareness of parents to this peer pressure could therefore be a governmental tool for fighting polarization.

Keywords: Inter-generational cultural transmission; Peer pressure; Polarization; Norm change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D19 D91 J13 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:194:y:2022:i:c:p:124-138

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.12.017

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