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The Democracy Premium in Expressive Law: An Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Yoan Hermstrüwer

    (University of Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Mahdi Khesali

    (University of Hamburg & Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods)

Abstract

Why do people obey the law when it is not formally enforced? In this study, we explore the expressive power of democracy as a behavioral channel of compliance with the law. Using a modified version of the stealing game, we examine the effect of two distinct democratic interventions on stealing under normative ambiguity: a voting procedure in which the outcome is revealed, and a voting procedure in which the outcome of the vote remains unknown. We find that revealing the outcome of a vote significantly reduces stealing relative to a baseline treatment without a vote and the treatment in which the outcome of the vote remains unknown. We also observe suggestive evidence that participants who support the social norm proscribing theft are more likely to steal nonetheless when the outcome remains unknown. Our findings have important implications for the design of expressive law and of democratic voting procedures.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoan Hermstrüwer & Mahdi Khesali, 2025. "The Democracy Premium in Expressive Law: An Experiment," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2025_06, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    • Handle: RePEc:mpg:wpaper:2025_06
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • K14 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Criminal Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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