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Endogenous Norm Formation Over the Life Cycle – The Case of Tax Morale

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Author Info

  • Katarina Nordblom

    () (UCFS, Uppsala University, Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden and Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Jovan Žamac

    () (UCFS, Uppsala University, Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden and Institute for Future Studies, Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

Elderly are generally observed to have stronger tax morale than young people. We explain why this may be an age rather than a cohort effect. We apply mechanisms from social psychology to explain how personal norms may evolve over the life cycle due to their past behavior (e.g., cognitive dissonance) and/or by the attitudes of peers (normative conformity). We can explain the difference between young and old people’s moral values as an age effect with heterogeneous norm-updating where those who identify with their network conform with it, while others are influenced by their own past behavior.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Economics and Finance in its journal Economic Analysis and Policy (EAP).

Volume (Year): 42 (2012)
Issue (Month): 2 (September)
Pages: 153-170

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Handle: RePEc:eap:articl:v:42:y:2012:i:2:p:153-170

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Related research

Keywords: Social norms; Endogenous norms; Tax evasion; Cognitive dissonance; Self-signaling; Normative conformity.;

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References

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