Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/331708 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18144
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We examine the empirical relationship between exposure to disasters and tightness of social norms, focusing on the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Social norms tightness refers to the extent to which cultural groups enforce adherence to norms and punish deviations. It is a key factor in shaping how societies function and individuals behave, influencing everything from social order and conflict to collective effort and institutional dynamics, and often emerges and evolves as an adaptive response to adverse events. Drawing on occurrences of epidemics and natural disasters, we find that individuals surveyed in the aftermath of a disaster in their region adhere 4 to 6 percent of a standard deviation more closely to the opinions about FGC in their groups compared to those interviewed just before the disaster occurred. This effect is particularly pronounced among women and rural populations. By examining variations in early life exposure to disasters across birth cohorts within countries, we find that this effect persists over time and is strongest when the disaster occurs during the transition from childhood to early adolescence.
Subjects: 
social norms
cooperation
epidemics
natural disasters
Sub-Saharan Africa
JEL: 
D1
D7
I15
O1
O55
Z1
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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