Welcome to Research Insights, where we put the focus on the Department of Economics' research output, events and conferences.
Each month, we sit down with a member of our department to learn more about a published paper, or a recent event or conference they have attended.
This month, we spoke to Professor Selim Gulesci . His paper "A Stepping Stone Approach to Norm Transitions" was published in the American Economic Review in April 2025.
"A Stepping Stone Approach to Norm Transitions"
Selim Gulesci, Sam Jindani, Eliana La Ferrara, David Smerdon, Munshi Sulaiman and Peyton Young
American Economic Review | April 2025
Abstract: We propose a model to study when an intermediate action can serve as a stepping stone that enables the elimination of a harmful norm. While the intermediate action may facilitate the first “step”, it may also become a new norm. We derive intuitive conditions for stepping stones, which depend on the relative size of social penalties and intrinsic utility benefits. We propose an econometric approach to testing whether an intermediate action is a stepping stone, and apply it to original data on female genital cutting in Somalia. The analysis shows that the intermediate action may become the new norm.
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Selim Gulesci
His research focuses on development and labour economics, with particular focus on entrepreneurship, education and gender.
Can you explain what this paper is about for anyone unfamiliar with the abstract?
Harmful social norms often persist despite high costs for individuals and society, and despite the presence of legislation against them – some examples are dowry, child marriage, and female genital cutting. The conventional approach taken by governments and NGOs is to push for the outright abandonment of these norms. In this paper, our objective is to understand the implications of having a “mildly harmful” alternative to the harmful practice. In the examples above, the intermediate alternative could be a cap on dowry payments, a lower minimum age for marriage, or a less invasive form of female genital cutting.
We develop a theoretical model to study whether an intermediate action can serve as a "stepping stone" that enables the elimination of a harmful norm. Our model demonstrates that, under certain conditions, the intermediate action may facilitate the first “step” towards elimination of the norm – people who may be reluctant to completely abandon a harmful practice may be persuaded instead to adopt a less harmful variant; once this first step is taken, it may be easier to take further steps, and eventually eliminate the practice. On the other hand, there is a risk that the intermediate variant may end up becoming a new norm in itself – precisely because it is less costly, incentives to abandon it are lower. We derive conditions under which the intermediate action can serve as a stepping stone. We then propose an econometric approach to testing whether an intermediate action is a stepping stone, and apply it to original survey data on female genital cutting in Somalia. Our analysis shows that, given the recent trends in Somalia, the intermediate form of FGC is likely to become the new norm. On the other hand, policy interventions that convince a relatively small proportion of people not to practice FGC at all could tip the process and prevent the intermediate form of FGC from becoming the new norm, thus highlighting a possible role for interventions.
Why did you decide to write this paper?
Female genital cutting affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide and every year, 3 million female infants and children are at risk of undergoing FGC. It is very important to understand why the practice persists, despite its severe implications in terms of health and wellbeing of women, as well as legislation and many policy interventions against it. As we were carrying out research on this topic in Somalia where almost all women are subjected to FGC, we realized that the trends in Somalia demonstrate a significant shift in the form of FGC in recent decades, from a very harmful form (infibulation) to a less harmful, intermediate form (clitoridectomy or excision). We wondered about the implications of this shift. In particular, whether it would lead to the eventual abandonment of the practice in Somalia. Given the importance of the issue, we decided it was important to develop a theoretical model and empirical methods to help shed light on this question.
How do you see this research making a difference in the real world?
Our theoretical and empirical analyses provide a framework for thinking about potential policy responses. Based on our framework and findings, we hope that governments and NGOs can develop effective interventions to help reduce the prevalence of harmful practices, such as FGC. Moreover, although our empirical application concerns FGC in Somalia, our framework is general and can be applied to a variety of settings. For example, a different setting in which our model could be applied is that of cigarette smoking. Recent years have seen the introduction of electronic cigarettes, and the share of consumers that have substituted tobacco with e-cigarettes has risen sharply. Will e-cigarettes ultimately lead people to quit smoking for good, or will they become the new norm? With relevant data, it is possible to apply our methodology to answer to this question.
May 2025