New norms vs new rules arms race
Examples:
New norm: no need for college degree to work in tech
New rule: free college
New norm: it’s ok to assert fraud without proof if you lose an election
New rule: make election day a holiday
New norm: WFH
New rule: Net non-neutrality
Conversation
Replying to
At the aggregate level it will be interesting to see if we swing net towards more norm-based or more rule-based.
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I think new norms will win out. New rules cost money to install and enforce. But huge fiscal deficits mean state capacity will net go down. But I think new norms will drive fragmentation. For every old norm or rule that’s collapsed, several regional new norms will emerge.
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California is simultaneously the best and worst showcase of rules based thinking. DC for norms based.
People think norms are good by default, rules bad by default, but plenty of norms are terrible.
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Replying to
Rules are just the codification of norms. The crank can turn in both directions. Rules are written to prevent norm breaking by a minority. Rules are scrapped (de jure or de facto) if the underlying norm shifts
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