Anger and enforcement

Robert Akerlof

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2016, vol. 126, issue PB, 110-124

Abstract: Observers who are angered by rule violations and punish violators often play a critical role in enforcement. Hence a key question is: when will noncompliance provoke anger, and when will it be excused? This paper develops a theory of rule compliance as the outcome of a two-person Bayesian game. The core of the model is its description of what constitutes an excuse. Noncompliance is excused when a “reasonable person” in similar circumstances would also have failed to comply. Phenomena explained include the role of “legitimacy” in enforcement; corruption traps; graduated sanctions for repeat offenders; and tolerance of self-interestedness in markets.

Keywords: Enforcement; Rules; Norms; Legitimacy; Anger (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D02 D03 K42 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:126:y:2016:i:pb:p:110-124

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2015.10.022

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