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Social norms or social preferences?

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  • Ken Binmore

Abstract

Some behavioral economists argue that the honoring of social norms can be adequately modeled as the optimization of social utility functions in which the welfare of others appears as an explicit argument. This paper suggests that the large experimental claims made for social utility functions are premature at best, and that social norms are better studied as equilibrium selection devices that evolved for use in games that are seldom studied in economics laboratories. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2010

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  • Ken Binmore, 2010. "Social norms or social preferences?," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 9(2), pages 139-157, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:minsoc:v:9:y:2010:i:2:p:139-157
    DOI: 10.1007/s11299-010-0073-2
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    2. Martin Fochmann & Björn Jahnke & Andreas Wagener, 2019. "Does the reliability of institutions affect public good contributions? Evidence from a laboratory experiment," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 66(3), pages 434-458, July.
    3. Vincenz Frey & Hannah N. M. Mulder & Marlijn Bekke & Marijn E. Struiksma & Jos J. A. Berkum & Vincent Buskens, 2022. "Do self-talk phrases affect behavior in ultimatum games?," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 21(1), pages 89-119, June.
    4. Tammi, Timo, 2013. "Dictator game giving and norms of redistribution: Does giving in the dictator game parallel with the supporting of income redistribution in the field?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 44-48.
    5. d'Adda, Giovanna & Dufwenberg, Martin & Passarelli, Francesco & Tabellini, Guido, 2020. "Social norms with private values: Theory and experiments," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 288-304.
    6. Daniele De Luca, 2023. "Power relations in Game Theory," Papers 2307.14170, arXiv.org.
    7. Florian Diekert & Tillmann Eymess & Joseph Luomba & Israel Waichman, 2022. "The Creation of Social Norms under Weak Institutions," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(6), pages 1127-1160.
    8. Daniele De Luca, 2024. "A mathematical theory of power," Papers 2401.16406, arXiv.org.
    9. Antonio Cabrales & Esther Hauk, 2022. "Norms and the Evolution of Leaders' Followership," CESifo Working Paper Series 9845, CESifo.
    10. Bonowski, Tim & Minnameier, Gerhard, 2022. "Morality and trust in impersonal relationships," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    11. Amitai Etzioni, 2014. "Crossing the Rubicon," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(2), pages 65-79.
    12. Minnameier Gerhard, 2019. "„Moralische Zeit“ Ein Kommentar zum Beitrag „Donald Blacks Moralsoziologie“ von Ingo Pies," Journal for Markets and Ethics, Sciendo, vol. 7(2), pages 65-69, December.
    13. Heap, Shaun P. Hargreaves & Matakos, Konstantinos & Weber, Nina Sophie, 2020. "Non-selfish behaviour: Are social preferences or social norms revealed in distribution decisions?," SocArXiv g4c2m, Center for Open Science.
    14. Ramzi Mabsout, 2017. "Book Review: Ethics in Economics: An Introduction to Moral Frameworks, by Wight, J," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 62(2), pages 272-275, October.
    15. Cristina Bicchieri & Ryan Muldoon & Alessandro Sontuoso, 2018. "Social Norms," PPE Working Papers 0015, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    16. Vasileios Kotsidis, 2018. "Call to Action: Intrinsic Motives and Material Interests," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-24, November.
    17. Diekert, Florian & Goeschl, Timo & König-Kersting, Christian, 2021. "Social Risk Effects: The 'Experience of Social Risk' Factor," Working Papers 0704, University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics.
    18. Leonardo Becchetti & Maurizio Fiaschetti & Giancarlo Marini, 2012. "Card Games and Financial Crises," CEIS Research Paper 256, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 09 Oct 2012.
    19. Minnameier, Gerhard & Bonowski, Tim Jonas, 2021. "Morality and Trust in Impersonal Relationships," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242438, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Anabela Botelho & Glenn W. Harrison & Lígia M. Costa Pinto & Don Ross & Elisabet E. Rutström, 2022. "Endogenous choice of institutional punishment mechanisms to promote social cooperation," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 191(3), pages 309-335, June.
    21. Arnald J. Kanning, 2020. "Agreement by conduct as a coordination device," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 19(1), pages 77-90, June.
    22. Herbert Gintis, 2011. "The future of behavioral game theory," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 10(2), pages 97-102, December.

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