Title
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date
2006
Publication Source
The Grammar of Society
Start Page
1
Last Page
54
Abstract
In The Grammar of Society, first published in 2006, Cristina Bicchieri examines social norms, such as fairness, cooperation, and reciprocity, in an effort to understand their nature and dynamics, the expectations that they generate, and how they evolve and change. Drawing on several intellectual traditions and methods, including those of social psychology, experimental economics and evolutionary game theory, Bicchieri provides an integrated account of how social norms emerge, why and when we follow them, and the situations where we are most likely to focus on relevant norms. Examining the existence and survival of inefficient norms, she demonstrates how norms evolve in ways that depend upon the psychological dispositions of the individual and how such dispositions may impair social efficiency. By contrast, she also shows how certain psychological propensities may naturally lead individuals to evolve fairness norms that closely resemble those we follow in most modern societies.
Copyright/Permission Statement
This material has been published in The Grammar of Society by Cristina Bicchieri. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press.
Recommended Citation
Bicchieri, Cristina, "The Rules We Live By" (2006). Penn Social Norms Group (PennSoNG). 10.
https://repository.upenn.edu/pennsong/10
Date Posted: 20 March 2017