#25 – Cristina Bicchieri: The Scaling of Norms
About this episode
Thibault Schrepel interviews Cristina Bicchieri about the emergence and scaling of social norms and their implications for policy and behavior.
Welcome back to Scaling Theory. My guest today is Cristina Bicchieri, Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, and one of the most influential scholars working on norm formation and collective behaviour. Her work is widely cited and, as we will talk about, has led to many field experiments and changes across the world. In our conversation, Cristina and I talk about how norms emerge, scale, and sometimes collapse. We look at tipping signals, self-reinforcing equilibria, and why some norms spread through a population while others fail beyond small groups. We then move to applied dimensions. Cristina takes us through the field experiments she has conducted and the patterns she has observed. Her work shows how norms and legal rules evolve together, which offers a fresh perspective on the forces that regulate and constrain much of what we do. We also talk about the challenges that appear when behaviours on digital platforms and AI ecosystems evolve faster than regulation. Finally, Cristina offers concrete guidance for policymakers and firms that want to design interventions…
More episodes of Scaling Theory
- #30 – Matthew O. Jackson on How Networks Quietly Shape What You Believe
- #28 – Scott Page: Why Diversity Beats Genius
- #27 – Cass Sunstein: On Scaling Liberalism
- #26 – W. Brian Arthur: On Economies, Santa Fe, and a Life in Ideas
- #24 – Robin Hanson: The Scaling of Futarchy
- #23 – Thibault Schrepel: Adaptive Regulation
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