Linking Norms and Culture

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to propose a method of modelling the evolution of social norms in different cultural settings. We analyse the role of culture in shaping agents' normative reasoning and hence their behaviour. The general notion of 'value' is discussed from the perspective of the BDI framework as a means to represent cultural regularities in social interactions. Culture is described as a system of shared values, which are linked to the Hofstede dimensions of culture. This system is represented by so-called metanorms that define appropriate, culturally-varying, behaviour in different relational contexts. In this way culture affects the possibility of normative changes, in particular the acceptance of policies designed to issue new norms in a society. Throughout the paper a scenario related to the enactment of smoking ban policies in Europe is presented to discuss the evaluation of normative change in specific cultural settings.