REPLY Formation of Societal Norms (SD6106)

[Ignacio J. Martinez-Moyano imartinez albany.edu]

Posted by  "Ignacio J. Martinez-Moyano" <imartinez at albany.edu>
Stefan,

Norm formation is a very interesting research area. My Ph.D. dissertation, "Rule Dynamics: Toward a Theory of Rule
Change in Organizations," builds on and extends work by James March and others on the determinants of change in rule
systems. The theory behind the models that I developed includes elements from the economics, management, sociology,
and operations management literatures. In my investigation I found that 'rules' and 'norms' have a lot in common and
are used by many as synonyms in different strands of literature. In the sociology literature is where you can find a
more consistent use of the norm construct. Rule change seems to be related not only to diffusion processes but also to
processes related to the identification and rationalization of options; it has a lot to do with attention, perception,
memory, and learning.

Please let me know if I can be of help.

Best,

Nacho

-- Ignacio J. Martinez-Moyano, Ph.D. 
Decision and Information Sciences 
Argonne National Laboratory 
9700 South Cass Avenue, Bldg. 900 
Argonne, IL 60439 
Posted by  "Ignacio J. Martinez-Moyano" <imartinez at albany.edu>
posting date  Thu, 14 Dec 2006 01:24:25 -0600 (CST)