Law and Social Norms: An Experimental Investigation of the Boundaries of the Expressive Power of Law

An extensive body of theoretical and empirical work has suggested that law carries an expressive power. That is, the mere content of legal rules, irrespective of any enforcement, can impact social norms and people’s behavior. Yet establishing this causal connection has been a thorny task. This article reports experimental findings identifying a causal connection between law and the perceived social norm. The results suggest that law does carry an expressive power, which impacts social norms. The results further demonstrate that this power is qualified, and that additional normatively relevant information dilutes the expressive power of the law.

Please note that the venue has changed to Seminar Room L (adjacent to the Missing Bean).