The Grammar of Society: The Nature and Dynamics of Social Norms

Description

In The Grammar of Society, first published in 2006, Cristina Bicchieri examines social norms, such as fairness, cooperation, and reciprocity, in an effort to understand their nature and dynamics, the expectations that they generate, and how they evolve and change. Drawing on several intellectual traditions and methods, including those of social psychology, experimental economics and evolutionary game theory, Bicchieri provides an integrated account of how social norms emerge, why and when we follow them, and the situations where we are most likely to focus on relevant norms. Examining the existence and survival of inefficient norms, she demonstrates how norms evolve in ways that depend upon the psychological dispositions of the individual and how such dispositions may impair social efficiency. By contrast, she also shows how certain psychological propensities may naturally lead individuals to evolve fairness norms that closely resemble those we follow in most modern societies.

Cristina Bicchieri is professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is the Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economic Program. The author of many articles and books, including Rationality and Coordination, The Logic of Strategy, and Knowledge, Belief and Strategic Interaction, she has received fellowships from the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences, and the London School of Economics (Leverhulme Trust).

'In this timely and accessible book, Cristina Bicchieri tries to capture the essential features of social norms. this is a laudable initiative because social scientists in different disciplines of ten apply different definitions.' De Economist