When Do Norms Emerge by Human Design and When by the Unintended Consequences of Human Action?

Abstract

Although it is well known that social norms may emerge by human design or as an unintended outcome of uncoordinated human action, little work has been done addressing the conditions under which each of these processes occurs. This article suggests propositions focusing on this question, applies them in explaining the emergence of a no-smoking norm and tests some of them with a factorial survey. The data show that there is the expected strong negative effect of externality through smoking on the acceptance of a no-smoking norm and on sanctioning behavior. Involvement in social networks of non-smokers does not have any effect on sanctioning behavior and only a minor effect on the acceptance of a no-smoking norm. These results are not in line with the strong emphasis on the importance of social networks for the emergence of norms in the literature. Explanations of these findings are suggested.