Caste and Punishment : The Legacy of Caste Culture in Norm Enforcement

Well-functioning groups enforce social norms that restrain opportunism, but the social structure of a society may encourage or inhibit norm enforcement. This paper studies how the exogenous assignment to different positions in an extreme social hierarchy - the caste system - affects individuals' willingness to punish violations of a cooperation norm. Although the analysis controls for individual wealth, education, and political participation, low-caste individuals exhibit a much lower willingness to punish norm violations that hurt members of their own caste, suggesting a cultural difference across caste status in the concern for members of one s own community. The lower willingness to punish may inhibit the low caste s ability to sustain collective action and so may contribute to its economic vulnerability.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Hoff, Karla, Kshetramade, Mayuresh, Fehr, Ernst
Language:	English
Published:	2009-09-01
Subjects:	ANTHROPOLOGISTS, APARTHEID, ARGUMENTS, BRIBERY, BROTHERS, CASTE DISCRIMINATION, CASTES, CIVIL SOCIETY, COOPERATIVE LENDING, CORRUPTION, COUPLES, CULTURAL STUDIES, CULTURES, DAILY LIFE, DEVELOPMENT BANK, DISCRIMINATION, DIVERSITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC RIGHTS, ELITE, ELITES, EVERYDAY LIFE, EXCLUSIONS, EXTORTION, FAMILIES, FARMER, FARMERS, FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT, GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION, GROUP IDENTIFICATION, GROUP MEMBERSHIP, HOUSEHOLDS, HUMAN BEHAVIOR, HUMAN RIGHTS, IDENTITY, INEQUALITIES, INEQUALITY, INTERGROUP RELATIONS, INTERNATIONAL BANK, JUSTICE, LAND OWNERSHIP, LANDLESS HOUSEHOLDS, MARRIAGES, MIGRATION, MURDER, NORMS, OPPRESSION, PAYOFFS, POWER, PROPERTY RIGHTS, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUNISHMENT, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, RAPE, REPRESSION, RITUAL, RITUALS, RULE OF LAW, SANCTIONS, SOCIAL CAPITAL, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL EXCLUSION, SOCIAL GROUPS, SOCIAL LIFE, SOCIAL NETWORK, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL RIGHTS, SOCIAL STATUS, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, SOCIETIES, STEREOTYPING, TRADITIONS, VICTIMS, VILLAGE, VILLAGES, VIOLENCE, VULNERABILITY, WELFARE STATE,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090908084948 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/4233
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