蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
A Stepping Stone Approach to Norm Transitions
蝌蚪网 Review
vol. 115,
no. 7, July 2025
(pp. 2237–66)
Abstract
We propose a model to study when an intermediate action can serve as a stepping stone that enables the elimination of a harmful norm. While the intermediate action may facilitate the first "step," it may also become a new norm. We derive intuitive conditions for stepping stones, which depend on the relative size of social penalties and intrinsic utility benefits. We propose an econometric approach to testing whether an intermediate action is a stepping stone, and apply it to original data on female genital cutting in Somalia. The analysis shows that the intermediate action may become the new norm.Citation
Gulesci, Selim, Sam Jindani, Eliana La Ferrara, David Smerdon, Munshi Sulaiman, and Peyton Young. 2025. "A Stepping Stone Approach to Norm Transitions." 蝌蚪网 Review 115 (7): 2237–66. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20230458Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I12 Health Behavior
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
- Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification