Monday, April 29, 2013

Gypsy Law


Gypsy law 

Peter Leeson 
Public Choice, forthcoming 

 Abstract: How do the members of societies that can’t use government or simple ostracism produce social order? To investigate this question I use economics to analyze Gypsy law. Gypsy law leverages superstition to enforce desirable conduct in Gypsy societies where government is unavailable and simple ostracism is ineffective. According to Gypsy law, unguarded contact with the lower half of the human body is ritually polluting, ritual defilement is physically contagious, and non-Gypsies are in an extreme state of such defilement. These superstitions repair holes in simple ostracism among Gypsies, enabling them to secure social cooperation without government. Gypsies’ belief system is an efficient institutional response to the constraints they face on their choice of mechanisms of social control. 

Nod to Kevin Lewis

2 comments:

Elizabeth J. Neal said...

These superstitions repair holes in simple ostracism among Gypsies, enabling them to secure social cooperation without government. Gypsies’ belief system is an efficient institutional response to the constraints they face on their choice of mechanisms of social control. anti sectarian arrests

Unknown said...

I wanted to order their amazing hummus, but we were too stuffed from lunch, and had already had hummus at Shamshiri that day (yes, a full-on Middle Eastern experience for my white boyfriend! And he enjoyed all of it!). great website here