Shaming and Compliance

doi:10.1017/9781108759458.030

30 - Shaming and Compliance

from Part IV - Legitimacy and Social Norms

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2021

Judith van Erp

Edited by

Benjamin van Rooij and

D. Daniel Sokol

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Benjamin van Rooij: Affiliation:
School of Law, University of Amsterdam
D. Daniel Sokol: Affiliation:
University of Florida

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Summary

Abstract: Naming and shaming offenders is often considered an effective strategy to improve compliance. Shaming exposes an offender to condemnation by a community of stakeholders. The threat of negative publicity, reputational damage and social disapproval is perceived as a sanction, and can in theory be more powerful than a formal legal sanction. This chapter asks to what extent naming and shaming can improve compliance. It takes stock of extant empirical evidence on the effect of shaming policies on regulatory compliance and identifies conditions for shaming to affect compliance. The complex relationship between ‘naming and shaming’ and compliance makes it difficult to predict and control the various effects of shaming sanctions. The chapter concludes that the unpredictability of effects makes ‘naming and shaming’ a risky tool for regulators. A theory about naming and shaming should differentiate among types of offender, shaming agent and social context.

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance , pp. 438 - 450

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108759458.030 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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