Norms in the Wild

Is it possible to change social expectations around forced marriage, genital mutilations, and public health practices like vaccinations and sanitation? If so, how? What tools might we use? This short book explores how social norms work, and how changing them – changing preferences, beliefs, and especially social expectations – can potentially improve lives all around the world.

Grammar of Society

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.

Nadar en Contra de la Corriente

2019 Spanish translated version of Bicchieri’s Norms in the Wild (2016). A partir de una rigurosa investigación, Cristina Bicchieri ofrece en estas páginas elementos para entender cómo se relacionan las acciones individuales con los comportamientos grupales, y comprueba con evidencias que es posible transformar una sociedad a través de la educación y mediante las actuaciones individuales.

UNICEF-Mali: Normes sociales liées à Le mariage d’enfants

This report aims to analyze social norms related to child marriage and the eating habits of children under the age of 2 in the Sikasso and Kayes regions. The results of the study will enable UNICEF to better inform its chapters and Mali to better understand the socio-cultural dynamics that hinder the change of gender in relation to child marriage, exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding.

Social Determinants of Open Defecation: Phase Two Materials

In the second phase of our study of the social determinants of open defecation in India, we have produced a report detailing our diagnosis of a series of collective behaviors relevant to open defecation. We also describe patterns among our norms data to previously collected social network data. Furthermore, we track changes over time and other relevant patterns.

Collective Action on Corruption in Nigeria

This report aims to diagnose what drives corrupt behavior in Nigeria, and the types of beliefs that support practices understood to be corrupt. The findings present new evidence of the social beliefs and expectations that influence some day-to-day forms of corruption in Nigeria. Fuller details of the survey and associated research are given in the body of the report, as well as in an annex.

Applying Social Norms Theory in CATS Programming

The primary goal of this document is to provide the necessary information on the importance, nature and application of the theory of social norms to sanitation specialists. This document distills insights from joint collaborations with UNICEF, and aims to promote positive social change with regard to many harmful collective patterns of behavior related to sanitation.

Social Determinants of Open Defecation: Phase One Materials

In the first phase of our study of the social determinants of open defecation in India, we have produced a report detailing how social networks influence latrine ownership. We also explore demographic predictors of ownership and use and how our findings differ from existing literature. We explore how these network data link to norms data in our Phase 2 report.

Social Norms Manual: Zimbabwe and Swaziland

A Social Norms Manual produced for Zimbabwe and Swaziland as part of the UNICEF Office of Research’s Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children. This manual serves as a guide to key concepts in the social norms framework with examples pertaining to the countries and programming areas.

Social Norms Manual: Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Philippines

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.

UNICEF Pakistan: WASH Sustainability Check

This study focuses on Rural ODF Status (exclusive latrine use in ODF certified villages – behavioral sustainability) and continued functionality of RWSS (drinking water only) in the geographic region of two provinces in Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab. Our chief role was to develop, integrate and analyze social norms measures as part of the larger sustainability check. This report presents those methods, measures and findings.