“So in the case, and a norm basically is a matter of common knowledge. We call it a norm as opposed to a law, because the only reason that it works is that everyone knows that everyone else knows that it exists. And it can unravel if people start to flout it. But in the case of, say, Ostrom and others like Larry Ellickson, Order Without Law, where the theory was that nothing short of enforcement by a third party can get people to stop overgrazing the commons.”
Stephen Pinker, Guest on EconTalkSteven Pinker on Common Knowledge
