Journal Article

Social norms as solutions

Madsen, Ole Jacob, Crépin, Anne-Sophie, Folke, Carl, Xepapadeas, Anastasios, Polasky, Stephen, Adger, W. Neil, Schill, Caroline, Walker, Brian, Daimenberg, Astrid, Schlüter, Maja, Scheffer, Marten, Lindahl, Therese, Barrett, Scott, Daily, Gretchen, Carpenter, Stephen, Kautsky, Nils, Nyborg, Karine, Anderies, John M., Ehrlich, Paul, Weber, Elke U., Arrow, Kenneth J., Wilen, James, Chapin, F. Stuart, Levin, Simon A., de Zeeuw, Aart, Jager, Wander

2016

Overview

Policies may influence large-scale behavioral tipping Climate change, biodiversity loss, antibiotic resistance, and other global challenges pose major collective action problems: A group benefits from a certain action, but no individual has sufficient incentive to act alone. Formal institutions, e.g., laws and treaties, have helped address issues like ozone depletion, lead pollution, and acid rain. However, formal institutions are not always able to enforce collectively desirable outcomes. In such cases, informal institutions, such as social norms, can be important. If conditions are right, policy can support social norm changes, helping address even global problems. To judge when this is realistic, and what role policy can play, we discuss three crucial questions: Is a tipping point likely to exist, such that vicious cycles of socially damaging behavior can potentially be turned into virtuous ones? Can policy create tipping points where none exist? Can policy push the system past the tipping point?

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Acid rain / Antibiotic resistance / Antibiotics / Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management / Aquatische Ecologie en Waterkwaliteitsbeheer / Biodiversity / Biodiversity loss / Climate change / Drug resistance / Environmental incentives / Group Processes / Humans / Incentives / Institutions / Leerstoelgroep Aquatische ecologie en waterkwaliteitsbeheer / Norms / Ozone depletion / Policies / Policy / POLICY FORUM / Pollution abatement / Social Norms / Social psychology / Treaties / WIMEK