A theory of norm collapse

Chien Liu

Rationality and Society, 2020, vol. 32, issue 2, 119-143

Abstract: How a social norm emerges has been studied extensively. However, how a norm collapses has rarely been addressed in the literature. In this article, extending the theories of norm emergence by Coleman and Axelrod, I propose a theory of norm collapse. This theory specifies one micro mechanism and macro–micro–macro process through which a norm likely decays and eventually collapses. Then, as a test, I use computer simulation to simulate the process of the norm emergence and collapse. The result of the computer simulation demonstrates that the proposed theory has internal logical consistency. Finally, I conclude by discussing some implication of this research.

Keywords: Evolutionary approach; externality; norm collapse; rational choice theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:32:y:2020:i:2:p:119-143

DOI: 10.1177/1043463120921255

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