FSS-DECO Seminar: Migration and the Evolution of Norms: An Experimental Study
Speaker: Prof. Jonathan H. W. TAN, Associate Professor, Economics, Associate Chair (Academic), School of Social Sciences, Research Director, Economic Growth Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Date: 15 April 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 14:00-15:15
Venue: E21B-G002
Language: English
Abstract: We experimentally analyze how social identity influences coordination through label salience in a novel identity-specific coordination game. We model interactions in migration contexts by manipulating the payoff structure of interactions and arbitrary social identities of players with or without “incumbency”, namely dyads with “locals” or “migrants”, respectively. Across treatments, we vary the rate and permanency of migration, the salience of incumbency, and how signals of preference for local or foreign norms can be sent and observed. We find that local norms emerge rapidly in homogeneous (local) groups, and eventually in heterogenous (local-migrant) groups across treatments. However, the convergence to local norms is hampered when migrants are in the minority and migration is permanent, as migrants tend to persist in signaling their home-grown norms to protect their interests. This resistance weakens when migrants are present in large numbers, as they benefit from playing foreign and local norms with their respective counterparts. We provide a theoretical discussion on how the identity-specific label salience affects the evolution of coordination norms.
