In many modern nation states, both rich and poor, traditional law to this day plays an important role. Given the almost universal prevalence of traditional law, it is surprising how little we know about it. This is the first study that tries to take stock of traditional law from a cross-country...

This article offers a concise typology of spontaneous norms - i.e., norms that are formed or sustained through decentralized collective behavior in a community. The typology combines three criteria for identifying spontaneous norms: (i) implicit formation of (customary) rules, as opposed to...

Customary law has been criticized from very different angles. Rational choice theorists claim that what looks like custom is nothing but self-interest. Positivists doubt that anything beyond consent assumes the force of law. In this paper, we adopt an experimental approach to test these claims....

Der Bericht untersucht die Entwicklung einer neuen Unternehmerschaft im Rußland der späten neunziger Jahre. Er behandelt die Beziehung der Unternehmer zu ihren Geschäftspartnern und ihre Perzeption der Marktinfrastruktur. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wird der Vertragsdurchsetzung und den...