What is the importance of norms,their place in society ?
1 Social norms and life course events: A topic for simulation? Francesco C. Billari, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germanty Position paper – not for quotation or circulation WORKSHOP ON NORMS AND INSTITUTIONS IN MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS The so-called life course approach (Giele and Elder, 1998) has contributed to the development of interdisciplinary theory and analytical tools in social sciences. Since its very inception, the importance of norms — or internal timetables — in shaping the life course of individuals has been stressed. The basic idea is that major decisions in the life course are influenced by social norms — and their accompanying sanctions — existing in the social networks people belong to. This view does not necessarily imply that behaviour is determined completely by social norms. Other factors may also play a role, but social norms are certainly expected to contribute significantly to the explanation of behaviour. Very limited empirical research ha
