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Christoph Engel, Michael Kurschilgen, The Coevolution of Behavior and Normative Expectations: An Experiment, American Law and Economics Review, Volume 15, Issue 2, Fall 2013, Pages 578–609, https://doi.org/10.1093/aler/aht010
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In this paper, we test the effect of normative expectations and legal framing on cooperation in an experimental public good game with and without sanctions. We show that cooperation increases substantially as normative expectations and behavioral patterns coevolve. In the absence of sanctions, legal framing does not have any additional beneficial effect in realigning individual action and social well-being. Yet, in the presence of sanctions, the legal frame is crucial for the effectiveness of sanctions. Law and sanctions seem to complement each other. Our results inform the legal debate on customary law.