PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Classical narrow rational choice theory has been chastised for its neglect of the normative, habitual and affective components of individual behavior. Modern wide variants of the rational choice perspective try to overcome these limitations. Thereby, most attention is paid to the moral borders of instrumental reason. Based on various theoretical models, this work addresses the interplay of personal norm acceptance and deterrability through perceptions of sanction risk. Underlying is the hypothesis that perceived sanction risk affects criminal behavior particularly when the prevailing social norms are only poorly internalized. Since the available research on this issue is dominated by cross-sectional studies, this investigation draws on fixed-effects models estimated for four sweeps of a panel survey among adolescents in Duisburg, Germany. The results show that the deterrent impact of the perceived certainty of detection increases as an individual's commitment to law-relevant moral norms decreases.