A panacea for improving citizen behaviors? Introduction to the symposium on the use of social norms in public administration

Authors

  • Peter John King's College London
  • Michael Sanders King's College London & What Works Centre for Children's Social Care
  • Jennifer Wang Stanford University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.22.119

Keywords:

Symposium introduction, Social norms, Behavioral insights, Nudge

Abstract

Recent years have seen a growth in the use of social norm messages by local and national governments across the world. These messages have primarily been used to induce desired behaviors among the non-compliant minority by pointing to the compliance of the majority. As well as being of considerable theoretical interest, these messages have a high level of empirical and experimental support in government settings as well as a few null and negative findings. In this introduction to the symposium, we offer an overview of research to date using social norms in public administration, reviewing what ‘stylized facts’ emerge, then introduce the articles included in the symposium.

Additional Files

Published

2019-08-18

Issue

Section

Symposium on the Use of Social Norms in Public Administration

How to Cite

A panacea for improving citizen behaviors? Introduction to the symposium on the use of social norms in public administration. (2019). Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.22.119

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