Law and Social Norms Author:Eric A. Posner Eric Posner argues that social norms are sometimes desirable yet sometimes odious, and that the law is critical to enhancing good social norms and undermining bad ones. He goes on to argue that the proper regulation of social norms is a delicate and complex task, and that current understanding is inadequate for guiding judges and lawmakers. What... more » is needed, and what this book offers, is a model of the relationship between law and social norms. "Eric Posner wishes to improve the economic analysis of law by incorporating into it a more rigorous understanding of the impact on behavior of the social meaning of action. In his lucidly written and sharply argued book on the relation between law and 'non-legal mechanisms of cooperation,' Posner contends that many conceptual confusions and embarrassing puzzles that have been generated by the economic analysis of law can be cleared up, and the research paradigm as a whole can be advanced, by taking account of the pervasive and powerful role of social norms." —Peter Berkowitz, New Republic "Law and Social Norms is very well written, analytically rigorous, and highly sophisticated in its use of signaling models to illuminate a wide range of issues. It is an important book, and one that provides a powerful and highly innovative treatment of an under-explored aspect of legal theory." —Jack Wade Nowlin, Law and Politics Book Review« less