Back to norms! on the scope and dynamics of norms and normative action

Anorm and its adjective ‘normal ’ may have at least three messages forus. First of all, a norm tells us what something is. What is a meter? A concern of scientists at the time of the French Revolution. What is a veg-etable? A matter of current EU regulation. Second, the norm can tell us about the distributive structure of a population, what is ‘normal ’ in it. Third, norms tell us what we ought to to do. As a definition, as distribution, and as a rule of action, the norm tells us what we should expect. In all its meanings, a norm reduces uncertainty and contributes thereby to social order. True, that deceptions of expectation are interpreted differently. What does not correspond to the norm’s definition is false, not genuine. What falls outside the expected distribution is abnormal, deviant and possibly pathological. Who does not act according to the norm, acts wrongly. However, common to all cases is that the falsity of the expec-tation does not invalidate the norm. In this article we are mainly concerned with norms in the third sense and with issues they raise for social theory and social analysis. What is the signifi-cance of norms in human action? When do norms govern actors and their actions? What is the relationship between normative and non-normative action? What are the dynamics of norms? Why and how do norms change? Norms constitute a crossroads of a large number of scientific disciplines, which rarely have the opportunity to stop for a moment to talk to each other. Business administration, criminology, decision theory, economics, ethics, game theory, law, organization theory, pedagogy, philosophy, politica