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The Scandal Matrix: The Use of Scandals in the Progress of Society

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Author Info
Holler, Manfred J.
Wickstroem, Bengt-Arne
Abstract

Social conventions and norms can be modeled as equilibria of coordination games. It is argued that the critical mass necessary for a society to move from one convention, that is from one equilibrium, to another changes with changes in the population structure due to generation shifts. A scandal is defined as a breach of the accepted norm by a prominent person When the critical mass necessary for a change in the accepted convention is sufficiently small, a scandal can trigger such a change since the scandal maker has a certain number of sympathizers, who follow her in breaking the accepted norm. The argument is illustrated with several examples from the history of mankind.

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Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 159.

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Date of creation: 1998
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_159

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Holler, Manfred J, 1993. " Fighting Pollution When Decisions Are Strategic," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 76(4), pages 347-56, August.
  2. Joseph Farrell & Garth Saloner, 1985. "Standardization, Compatibility, and Innovation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(1), pages 70-83, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Brams, Steven J. & Mattli, Walter, 1992. "Theory of Moves: Overview and Examples," Working Papers 92-52, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
  4. Wittman, Donald, 1993. "Nash equilibrium vs. maximin : A comparative game statics analysis," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 559-565, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Wittman, Donald, 1985. "Counter-intuitive results in game theory," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 77-89. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Liebowitz, S J & Margolis, Stephen E, 1990. "The Fable of the Keys," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(1), pages 1-25, April.
  7. Mailath, George J., 1992. "Introduction: Symposium on evolutionary game theory," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 259-277, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Brams, Steven J. & Wittman, DOnald, 1980. "Nonmyoptic Equilibria," Working Papers 80-10, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
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  1. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1999. "Inflation and Welfare: Comment on Robert Lucas," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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